Jansons’s performances of the Symphonies Nos 6 and 7 take the music out of the imposing gloom of the cathedral and into the bright, fresh air. Everything feels light and fluid, like a graceful dance or an innocent folk song — exquisite in its own way.

Asked to nominate a single word that sums up Mariss Janson's approach to these particular Bruckner symphonies, it would be 'fluidity' ... The dancing episode for strings with woodwind sat fig E (5'32") finds Jansons more or less bang on target metronome-wise, the playing warmly affectionate, the genial mood a natural outgrowth of what had preceded it.

These are brisk, energised accounts with real crispness of attack and sustained momentum...The live sound in the Concertgebouw is absolutely first rate in terms of balance, dynamics and lack of obtrusive noise. This bargain twofer represents the essence of Jansons' Bruckner.

The playing, as you might expect from this supreme orchestra, is magnificent; and, as you might expect from this conductor, the performances unfold like perfectly lubricated machines. But what both works lack in all this efficiency is any real character.