Bizet: Carmen & L'Arlesienne Suites (CBS Masterworks Great Performances)

Georges Bizet (Composer), Leopold Stokowski (Conductor), National Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: National Philharmonic Orchestra
• Conductor: Leopold Stokowski
• Composer: Georges Bizet
• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000025MR
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #269,594 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent, November 3, 2003

By 

Sungu Okan "Can Okan" (Istanbul, Istanbul Turkey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bizet: Carmen & L'Arlesienne Suites (CBS Masterworks Great Performances) (Audio CD)

This is a must have for "Carmen", "L'Arlesienne" or Stokowski admirers.

As you know, this CD contains Bizet's most famous works and performances are excellent.

This record (of course, originally LP) was issued for celebrate that, Stokowski's 95th birthday and his 60th year in recording industry. And this is his one of the last recordings.

Carmen Suites are excellent and the performance of L'Arlesienne is very good, but I recommend one more recording of this work: Sir Thomas Beecham's recording with his Royal PO, released on EMI)...

Highly recommended

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a great choice., December 8, 1999

By 

Trevor Gillespie "sol_man" (San Jose, California United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bizet: Carmen & L'Arlesienne Suites (CBS Masterworks Great Performances) (Audio CD)

I don't know any other recordings of this particular music, so I base my opinions on what I hear. The music is incredible, the interpretation is as well, and the CD as a whole pleases. I've heard a lot about Leopold Stokowski. One thing I heard was that this was one of his greatest last recordings.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stokowski Was Born to Conduct Carmen, May 17, 2008

By 

Doug - Haydn Fan (California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Bizet: Carmen & L'Arlesienne Suites (CBS Masterworks Great Performances) (Audio CD)

Although well-known, Leopold Stokowski for some reason never quite receives the respect that other famous conducting names garner. This is a shame, because at the top of his game Stokowski simply leaves his peers to shake their heads in wonderment at his ability to produce colors from an orchestra.

In these two pieces by Bizet Stokowski takes the long gone British National Philharmonic - created for recordings - and precedes to elicit playing quite as exciting as the best in these over-recorded selections. What distinquishes Stokowski's way in Bizet is his remarkable sensitivity, his light touch, effortlessly incorpoarted into a floating rythmic propulsion; all this decorated with lavish displays of instrumental colors.

As fine a piece of conducting as you can hope to hear in these works, a wonderful momento of this legendary leader at his best, and an absolute top choice for someone wishing to own this music on CD.