Pesek's Virgin Classics disc opens with a beautiful account of the Othello Overture that is full of atmosphere, with some characteristic, richly blended Czech woodwind playing to beguile the ear. The opening of the D minor Symphony, too, has an easygoing lyrical flow and the lovely secondary theme certainly blossoms on the Czech violins. But the reading fails to develop a great deal of thrust and at times rhythms are a bit weighty. In the slow movement Pesek makes no attempt to disguise the Wagnerian influence and although, again, there is eloquent playing from the Czech strings the climax retains the German heaviness. With the arrival of the Scherzo the performance is transformed, the main theme given a lolloping rhythmic lilt that lifts the spirits, while the middle section with its tight trills is equally captivating. The finale is splendid; it's buoyantly sprung and the rhetoric admirably handled.
Overall this is certainly an enjoyable performance, but the measure on this full-price disc is short when one considers that Gunzenhauser's Fourth with the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra on the super-bargain Naxos label is equally idiomatic. The digital sound, if not quite so warm, is rather more transparent in detail, too. Moreover, Gunzenhauser (Naxos) manages to play down the Wagnerian element in the Andante, and offers a refreshing account of the Eighth Symphony as a coupling instead of a 15-minute overture.
Turning to Neumann, one finds an altogether plainer style of music-making, although in the Fourth Symphony the second subject is ushered in rather felicitously. His first movement is more vital than Pesek's, but the Andante falls between two stools: it fails to be really expansive and the Wagnerian passages don't make much impact at all. The Scherzo comes off well (the Czechs have this music in their bones), although it is much less individual than Pesek's version and Neumann's finale is rather too forceful: Dvorak's main rhythmic idea can too easily sound laboured. The first movement of the Fifth above all needs coaxing, and Neumann is too direct and plain; the Andante, though, is warm and beautiful. It's regrettable that there is a break between the first and second discs before the brilliant scherzo which would follow on immediately, having a phrase from the slow movement that serves as an introductory bridge passage.
The Sixth shows Neumann at his finest. It is a highly spontaneous performance and the grandioso passage where the first theme opens out is a splendid moment. The Adagio is presented simply and gracefully and the Furiant scherzo has plenty of Slavonic zest to lead to a finale which is full of energy and fire. Excellent playing, with the orchestra on its toes, and good if not exceptional sound. But to present these three recordings on a pair of full-price CDs is to ignore the present competition, and not only from Naxos.'