FX Dussek: Four Symphonies Naxos8.572683 ****

The Bohemian composer Frantisek Xaver Dussek (1731-99) is not to be confused with the rather better-known Jan Ladislav Dussek (1760-1812). They're not related, and in their own language, they don't even share a surname. FX Dussek was a pillar of Prague's musical life – Mozart completed Don Giovanni at his summer residence in 1787 – but his music didn't get widely disseminated, and only one of the four symphonies recorded here even carries reliable information as to its date (a Symphony in G which pre-dates 1763). The neglect seems a pity when the music sounds as well as it does in these thrusting, full-bodied performances by the Helsinki Baroque Orchestra under Aapo Häkkinen. There's nothing earth-shattering here, but the music communicates with an up-beat, energetic spring in the fast movements, and there's some attractive, gentle colourings in the slow ones. url.ie/af6o