Since its disinterring in 1989, there have been some fine recordings, but surely none more persuasive than this. Jakub Hrůša plainly loves the score and strives to characterise its every detail, drawing lovely playing from the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra in a warmly spacious acoustic.

The Bamberg Symphony is a luminous ensemble with characterful woodwinds and brass, and it plays with enthusiasm in finely engineered sound.

A factor that might make collectors favour Hrůša’s recording over the options is the inclusion of the first commercial recording of the original version of the Symphonisches Präludium...It’s a brief but fascinating work and Hrůša's recording allows us to hear it in its original form using the orchestral forces normally used by Bruckner.

In his booklet note, Hrůša mentions that he would worry about annoying people with his constant bursts of enthusiasm regarding the symphony's merits, and it’s easy to hear his absolute dedication and commitment, with the Bamberg players joining him for every step of the journey.

The warmth and swagger of this account with the Bamberg Symphoniker entirely suits an imperfect but adorable work that combines echoes of Bruckner, Brahms, and the symphonies Mahler hadn’t yet written with the preposterous exuberance of soundtracks from Hollywood’s Golden Age...there seems something particularly Czech in the way Hrusa keeps the music bubbling along.

Jakub Hrůša and the Bamberger Symphoniker didn’t exactly rediscover Rott’s Symphony in E major – others recorded it before – but their interpretation is so convincing that we can say that no one else has advocated Rott’s music as profoundly as the performers on this recording. Works by Bruckner and Mahler, who both admired Rott’s work, complete this superb CD.