Noseda brings out the best in the whole orchestra in the Symphony and Bianca

This second BBC Philharmonic Karpowicz disc complements the first with three earlier works. Composed in the first two years of the 20th century, Karpowicz's 40-minute Rebirth Symphony is very much of its time – not just in its ambitious programmatic span from existential despair to world-saving apotheosis, but in its opulent post-Tchaikovskian idiom. Though he clearly overreached himself, this is a needto- know piece for anyone interested in the aspirational Zeitgeist prevalent before the First World War. Most immediately appealing, perhaps, is the slow movement, which features a tender song-like theme that British listeners may connect with the hymn 'My song is love unknown'.
The symphonic prologue Bianca da Molena is extracted from music for a now forgotten Polish play; not surprisingly it contains many echoes of Wagner. The Serenade for String Orchestra is an apprentice piece with a certain charm, notably in the vaguely Parsifalian slow movement, which helps to compensate for the disappointment of the cursory finale.
The BBC Philharmonic's playing and Chandos's recording uphold their customary high standards.