From historically informed accounts to the most unreconstructed modern symphony-orchestra performances, there's no shortage of fine sets of Schumann's four symphonies already on disc. Where Yannick Nézet-Séguin's versions with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe slot in among them, or whether they are needed at all, is another matter. As you would expect from an orchestra with the pedigree of the COE, the playing is often outstanding – the string articulation in the finale of the First Symphony and the scherzo of the Second, for example, is immaculately precise – but Nézet-Séguin seems to have little to offer in the way of interpretative insights. Tempi are often pushed to extremes – the second-movement Larghetto of the First Symphony is absurdly drawn out, the opening movement of the Second is driven ferociously – or perversely accented, so that the opening theme of the Third, for instance, loses its glorious sense of carrying everything before it. So little of the music betrays any sense of what these works are about, that you do sometimes wonder if Nézet-Séguin ever actually listens to Schumann's piano music or songs.