In Britain, one would be forgiven for not noticing that 2004 was the centenary of Dvorak’s death. Where were the complete symphony cycles that marked, for example, the 50th anniversary of Prokofiev’s death? Even though the Czech composer was one of the most popular in this country during his lifetime, his works, with their endless stream of beautiful and memorable melody, have fallen foul of the arbiters of taste. Happily, Davis and the LSO seem to be working their way back through the mature Dvorak symphonies and this sumptuous account of the Sixth raises hopes that they will go on to tackle the Fifth. The D major is Dvorak’s Pastoral, and it owes as much to Beethoven — a reminiscence of the Ninth in the adagio and a near-quote from his Pastorale in the finale — as it does to Brahms. Hardly a bar passes, however, that is not unmistakably Dvorak. This lovely music breathes the same air as Smetana’s tone poems. Davis and his band revel in the birdsong and the folk-like tunes in a glowing account of the symphony’s lyrical episodes. At only just over 45 minutes, short measure perhaps, but, for around a fiver, it’s an unmissable bargain. Five stars