Rob Cowan rightly heaped praise upon this team’s two previous Dvořák symphony anthologies (8/12 and 11/12) and now it’s my turn. Claus Peter Flor masterminds a New World as abundantly characterful and winningly alive as it is shrewdly observant – no whiff of stale routine here! The expectant hush of the opening bars makes you sit up and listen, the Malaysian PO’s richly sonorous strings and biting timpani from bar 9 or 1'02" distilling an arresting sense of drama that carries over into the thrusting Allegro molto proper (exposition repeat included). At the same time, Flor allows himself plenty of expressive leeway, rhythms are pointed with care and flair, and phrases shaped with pliable understanding (the first violins’ extended cantilena in the slow movement beginning at fig 3 or 6'00" exceptionally so). Indeed, the performance as a whole displays such unfailing purpose, sensitivity and freshness of new discovery that I felt I was encountering the music for the first time. In the DDD stakes I’d be inclined to rank Flor up there alongside Harnoncourt, Fischer and Masur.

Turning to the fill-ups, in the Czech Suite Flor and his conspicuously responsive band bring a most disarming poetry and great lyrical beauty to the gorgeous Romance, while the concluding Furiant has exhilarating sinew and backbone about it (just listen to those meaty sforzandos from fig C or 1'38"). My Home represents another tonic, a memorably vivacious reading without quite challenging the likes of Ančerl (Supraphon), Rowicki (Philips) and Kubelík (DG).

The SACD sound throughout is superb, gloriously ripe, most judiciously balanced, and with timpani and low brass captured in particularly realistic fashion by the BIS microphones. I derived enormous pleasure from this release and feel sure you will too. Dare we now hope for the remaining six Dvořák symphonies from these artists?