Dvořák would probably be accused of cultural appropriation these days, but the critic Louis Ehlert took an altogether more generous attitude to the Slavonic Dances: ‘Whoever discovers a precious jewel on the public highway is obliged to report his find.’ In fact, there’s precious little evidence that Dvořák used anyone’s melodies but his own. He’s faithful to the spirit, rather than the letter, of Slavonic folk dance, and it’s the spirit that counts in any recording of these 16 musical jewels.

The spirit is certainly willing in this disc from the Prague Symphony Orchestra under its new (since 2020) chief conductor Tomáš Brauner. The opening furiant of the Op 46 set steps confidently out, big, bold and extrovert. Brauner and his orchestra have an unforced sense of the ebb and flow of this music; the transitions feel natural and the slower dances (such as the E minor, Op 72 No 2) lilt and sway without wallowing. Here, and in the more moderately paced dances (such as the C minor, Op 46 No 7), Brauner leans discreetly on the tempo to keep things moving. The Prague woodwinds are especially characterful, and you could genuinely dance to the entire disc.

But there’s no getting around the fact that this is quite a forceful recording, and that the bigger climaxes are often uncomfortably fierce, with trumpet tone dominating the sonic picture (it’s recorded in a boomy and slightly chilly-sounding Prague Municipal House). The finest orchestral recordings of the Slavonic Dances remember that they originated as chamber music (for piano duet). That intimacy is lacking here, and in competition with a discography that extends back to the likes of Keilberth and Kubelík, this (admittedly lively) newcomer doesn’t quite make the top table.