The BBC Philharmonic’s playing and Chandos’s recording uphold their customary high standards…

The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra plays with typical musicianship and commitment for its dynamic conductor, and the recording is equally typical in being resonant and ripe.

…a must-hear experience for any admirer of late Romanticism.

He is an excellent conductor, and I can’t imagine better performances…

I would suggest that Karlowicz, in spite of his admiration for Tchaikovsky, is closest to Richard Strauss. He is also, in mood and melancholy, similar to Josef Suk. His tone poems cannot be heard back to back without experiencing an excess of theatrical moodiness. I seem to recall a story that Dvorak told Suk to go away and compose something **** cheerful; the result was his serenade. Karlowicz sadly lacked a friend or mentor to give him some similar advice. Heard singly these pieces suggest the memory of sorrow in a desperately maintained tranquility. Previous generations might have felt the composer needed a cold shower and a good long cross-country run, but Karlowicz does have both charm and ability sufficient to disarm such criticism. It is easy to feel that late romanticism, like a third rate library, is sold by the yard. To avoid this the performers must throw themselves into the music and make it feel fresh minted. Noseda and the BBC Philharmonic have this gift. For some time they have set the benchmark for the late romantic orchestral repertoire, handling the giants, such as Rachmaninov or Prokofiev, and the national masters such as Respighi, Smetana or Dallapiccola. This release is well up to that standard, and bears the hallmark of Chandos recording, a rich and sonorous sound stage.