Vurdering: 4/5

"Editor's choice: There are precious few orchestras in the world with a sound and an identity as distinctly their own as the Czech Philharmonic ... Small wonder that they yearly pay homage to those roots through Smetana's enduring and popular cycle of tone poems ... There's an honesty and homespun modesty about the playing that truly invites you in. The playing sings ... Nothing is overcooked, everything evolves ... I think it's Bychkov's ability to relate phrasing to sound that is at the heart of his success here. He plainly relishes the orchestra's natural blend while celebrating the beauty of its soloists ... High praise indeed"

"Orchestral choice: 'It hardly needs saying that there is nothing banal about Bychkov's meticulously mapped performances and that his attention to detail never stifles the music's spontaneity ... In sum, an enriching Má Vlast up there with the other indisputably great performances"

"Má Vlast, Smetana's cycle of six symphonic poems, occupies a particular place in the hearts of Czech music lovers ... I enjoyed this performance of Má Vlast very much indeed, The Czech Philharmonic plays superbly throughout. The musicians must know this music inside out but there's never any trace of routine. Everything sounds fresh and exciting. I'm sure that Semyon Bychkov has encouraged the orchestra to approach the music as if it were new to them; certainly, he conducts with empathy and conviction"