What is in fact performed here is the rarely heard original version… at its most striking in the Credo: its dramatic portrayal of the earthquake and storm unleashed at Jesus's death is realised not merely by the usual manic organ solo, but also by the ferocious roar of multiple timpani and howling strings. ...is the highpoint of this live 1996 performance, as it should be, though elsewhere Janáček's gloriously rich and strange choral music also tells thanks to the well-drilled Prague Philharmonic Choir. The companion items, performed in 2003, receive more polished and dramatically alive accounts, matched with more imaginative camera work.

…a splendid disc, offering outstanding performances, well filmed against the background of the Dvořák Hall, not just of the Glagolitic Mass but also of Jealousy, the original orchestral prelude for the opera Jenůfa, and the three-movement symphonic poem Taras Bulba-two works that require background information for full appreciation. Sir Charles is in energetic form and the Czech forces bring extra idiomatic authenticity, with high dramatic contrasts well caught and the important timpani part given full force.