Jansons has already given us a splendid set of Tchaikovsky symphonies for Chandos and now he turns to Rachmaninov's E minor Symphony and from Oslo to London and the Philharmonia Orchestra. The new combination is less potent. The recording is certainly very fine, brilliant, full and well balanced with good string timbre. The opening too, like the closing pages of the slow movement, brings a strong nostalgic feeling and the scherzo, with plenty of bite, makes a sparkling centrepiece. But it is significant that Jansons's overall timing is 54'32'' against Previn's 58'52'' (on his LSO/EMI record). Indeed, the fast pacing of the first movement Allegro, with the winding Rachmaninovian line given a light lyrical expressive feeling is very effective in its way and had the slow movement produced the big spacious contours and the degree of passion that Previn brings to it in his EMI account, this new version could have been outstanding. As it is one is left feeling that the last degree of ardour is not forthcoming and the finale fails to produce the kind of emotional thrust that can have one sitting on the edge of one's seat in this music.
Previn's EMI version still holds the field, providing one can accept the dehydration of the sound brought about by the digital remastering the recording of his later RPO/Telarc version is gloriously opulent, but here the performance has less intensity, although I would still choose it (and Ashkenazy's Decca CD) in preference to this new one, which is altogether less compulsive.'