this is a no-nonsense, hard-driven account of the Rite, sure to raise the pulse rate. Both the 'Dance of the earth' and 'Sacrificial Dance' combine searing energy and precision. At times it is a little emotionless, but that's not necessarily a bad thing, Fischer avoiding the mannerisms that beset some versions....[Les Biches] bounces along as genially as the Rite is menacing.

Fischer's French sensibility is evident from the very start of this brightly lit and articulate Rite: a provocative and teasing rubato in the opening bassoon solo immediately hints at the sexual and the chic...The precision of the Welsh orchestra is impressive, the clarity and vitality of the sound throwing up detail that one thought had long since stopped being surprising. But here it is - freshly minted

Helped by state-of-the-art sound, Fischer's refinement speaks volumes in the Rite's quieter passages, where the string clusters and gurgling woodwind have a lucid beauty that contrasts finely with the weight of the rest...The real treat, though, is Les Biches.... There is a dark undertow in the performance, with echoes of Offenbach and 18th-century elegance... The tricky choral writing is expertly negotiated, and the playing poised in the extreme.

There’s so much to enjoy in the sheer sound of this performance – the gorgeous, Impressionistic textures conjured up in the slow opening to the ballet’s second half, or the swift traipse through "The Augurs of Spring", with the offbeat chords sonorous and weighty. And the "Dance of the Earth" is terrific..You can almost feel the delight on the players’ faces