As I listened to the breezy cadenza for horns, clarinet and flute at 5'09" into the finale of the Spring Symphony, very well played though it is, I thought to myself how utterly different the Czech Philharmonic of 2007 sounds to the Orchestra of 40 or so years ago, especially in terms of its wind and brass sonorities. Back then a hint of vibrato in the brass and pungent, birdlike woodwinds would have been immediately distinctive (though I don’t ever recall hearing them in this particular work), whereas now you could as well be listening to any quality European orchestra…no – any decent orchestra anywhere. A loss? Perhaps, though I’m certainly not complaining about today’s Philharmonic, still a pretty fine orchestra.

That said (and it needed saying), these are generally well considered performances, the Spring buoyant in the first movement, with spatially divided violins that deliver a warm expressive line in the Larghetto. I like the gradual sense of awakening as the Second Symphony’s Allegro gets going (after a well built introduction), the secure ascent of the development section and the keenness of the coda, all kept on the move but never sounding excessively tense or driven. This naturalness extends to the Adagio, where Lawrence Foster gently nudges the line rather than pulling it out of shape, as some are wont to do. He also takes a delicate approach to the movement’s wistful central section (and note the expressive dipping of the oboe line at 7'26"). The finale is admirably clean, much aided by Pentatone’s skilful handling of the airy Rudolfinum acoustic. I note incidentally that Foster doubles as one of the executive producers. Both first-movement repeats are played and while I couldn’t in all honesty say that my current top recommendations are dethroned (I refer in particular to Dausgaard, Harnoncourt, Kubelík in Munich, and Sawallisch), I thoroughly enjoyed this CD and would be happy to return to it.