Customer Reviews

Antal Dorati Conducts

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This box set of recordings by the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra (known today as the Minnesota Orchestra) is a dream come true for anyone who grew up hearing this magnificent group either live or on LP. Listeners cannot help but be impressed by their remarkable clarity, rhythmic vitality, and artful precision (dare I call it the "Minneapolis Sound"?)- especially when you consider that these recordings were made in the 50s and 60s on the stage of Northrup Auditorium at the University of Minnesota.

Antal Dorati had a keen ear for orchestral color, and this collection is a lasting testament to his instincts. Anyone who reveres the old recordings by such conductors as Ormandy, Bernstein, Reiner, Szell, et al., are highly encouraged to check out this collection. The hauntingly exotic "Seven Studies on Themes of Paul Klee" by Gunther Schuller (commissioned by the Orchestra) is an all-too-rare gem that deserves to be heard - a modern-day "Pictures at an Exhibition".

Dorati carried his concepts of color over to his recordings with the London Symphony Orchestra, as the Stravinsky and Prokofiev selections will attest.

I encourage audiophiles to discover one of those "other" orchestras from "back then". I think it will be a "sound" investmment.

Those familiar with my reviews on Amazon know of my great love for the Mercury Living Presence series. Equally great is my disgust that so many of these brilliant recordings have been deleted in the last few years! Thankfully, some of these legendary performances are resurfacing, and while the single disc SACD Hybrid titles are unfortunately listed at full-price, it is wonderful to see the various multi-disc sets basically being sold at budget line. With this 5CD reissue, some of Antal Dorati's legendary MLP recordings are restored to the catalog, as all of the original single issue CDs of these titles had all gone out-of-print over the last few years. To illustrate how prized these recordings are by collectors, if you wanted to buy these five titles just a few months ago in the Amazon Marketplace it would have cost you four times the price of this new set! Buying this collection for Dorati's accounts of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring and Petrouchka alone is worthwhile, as they are two of those works greatest performances. Of course getting memorable recordings of Strauss' Till Eulenspiegel, Don Juan, Death & Transfiguration and the conductor's own Suite from Der Rosenkavalier; Prokofiev's 5th Symphony and Suites from Scythian and Love for Three Oranges; Albeniz' Iberia Suite along with Falla, Moussorgsky and Smetana excerpts; and Gershwin's American in Paris, Copland's Rodeo Dances, and some wild Schuller and Bloch compositions (whew!) is just more to get excited about. Overall, it makes for quite an attractive package -- glorious golden age stereo recordings returned to the catalog at a very reasonable price. Once again, Mercury Living Presence lives!

For vibrant and powerful sound, the Antal Dorati Mercury recordings are a true revelation. As someone who enjoys yet is still learning to fully appreciate this music, it's clear that these recordings are special. Mostly 20th century recordings here, Stravinsky, Richard Strauss, Prokofiev, Copland. These composers liked to utilize the full orchestra, and here the listener is rewarded. Interesting too are the lesser known works, such as Gunther Schuller's 7 Studies on Themes of Paul Klee.

Dorati's rendition of Stravinsky's Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring) is a good place to start with these discs. His Richard Strauss tone poems are first rate, and Gershwin's An American in Paris is presented in its full orchestral glory.

A worthwhile purchase for those who enjoy the "old school" style of orchestration.