This is music that these Czech players have in their blood, and the variations of tempo which are an essential part of Smetana's idiom seem genuinely improvisatory. Yet the ensemble could not be more polished, with wonderfully clear textures, helped by an excellent, cleanly balanced recording made in Prague's Dvorák Hall.
The Skampa players fully bring out the drama of the First's finale and its spine-chilling tinnitus whistle which the deaf composer included from expperience. No 2 finds them in more relaxed mood, with extreme tempo changes in the first movement, infectious 'oompah' rhythms in the second, and high contrasts in the finale.