Alexander Moyzes was one of the most significant figures in modern Slovak music, synthesising the national musical style inherited from his teacher Vítězslav Novák with wider European contemporary trends. Both of these symphonies were written in a happy period of the composer’s life—before his musical oeuvre was overshadowed by conflict. The eloquent and sprightly Fifth Symphony is a celebration of ‘the heritage of my dear father’, who was also a talented musician and an important figure in Alexander’s development as a composer. The Sixth Symphony is notable for its clarity and symmetry, from the simple theme of its opening to the brilliant contrapuntal fugato in its closing movement.