[the finale] has balletic energy and is refreshingly free from vulgarity, In Romeo and Juliet the orchestra is superbly responsive, shaping the love melody with nobility and warmth...The recording has a wonderful sense of depth, with the handover from horns to trombones at the opening of the symphony given thrilling immediacy in SACD sound.

Pletnev understands the text [of the Fourth Symphony] completely but he refuses to be drawn emotionally...[He] makes much of the oscillating rhythm which horns and harp develop in the love music [of Romeo & Juliet] and his sumptuous uncovering of harmony at the climax is richly satisfying.

Perhaps the most remarkable things about these performances is their straightforwardness...[Pletnev] is without any quirks or deviations and leads the Russian National Orchestra in passionate and powerful performances, often with tempos quicker than the norm...and conjures compellingly direct accounts that are full-blooded, subtle and finely detailed.