Borodin: Symphonies 1-3

Alexander Borodin (Composer), Stephen Gunzenhauser (Conductor), Czecho-Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Czecho-Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra
• Conductor: Stephen Gunzenhauser
• Composer: Alexander Borodin
• Audio CD (February 15, 1994)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Naxos
• ASIN: B0000013N5
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #292,630 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Very Good Borodin Symphony Starter!, January 25, 2004

By 

Paul Rossi "Paul Rossi" (Walla Walla, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Borodin: Symphonies 1-3 (Audio CD)

A good friend of mine allowed me to borrow and listen to this CD. Borodin is one of my absolute favorite Russian composers, so I try to listen to as many different recordings of his symphonies as possible.

To be perfectly honest, this CD holds up fairly well to the competition. Stephen Gunzenhauser and his Czech orchestra give very admirable, heartfelt performances of these great works. They play well in tune, are rhythmically coordinated, and are balanced well with one another. Gunzenhauser and the Slovak orchestra give very good performances of all three symphonies.

However, due to some stiff competition, there are better recordings of these works with greater sonic output, better technical facility, and a greater sense of romanticism, contrast, and soul. Examples of this include the great budget recording of the Second Symphony by Ole Schmidt, Evgeny Svetlanov's recordings of these works, and (especially) the Neeme Jarvi box set of the Borodin symphonies, "In the Steppes of Central Asia," the "Petite Suite," and the famous Romance from Borodin's Second String Quartet.

This said, you cannot beat these performances of the three Borodin Symphonies for this price. There is no comparison in the budget bracket. Plus, you get all the symphonies on only one CD. If you just want an introduction to the Borodin symphonies or want to supplement your existing collection, I recommend this CD without reservations. However, if you want the best performances available for quite a bit more money (and searching!), I recommend the Jarvi set.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rewarding Listening, February 13, 2005

By 

Leslie Richford (Selsingen, Lower Saxony) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Borodin: Symphonies 1-3 (Audio CD)

As with Tchaikovsky’s “Manfred” symphony as performed by the same orchestra, I am forced to assume that one of the “major” labels could probably have made an even better job of recording these works, the Naxos engineering being satisfactory but without the brilliance of some later productions. Stephen Gunzenhauser and the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra give an enthusiastic rendition of Borodin’s three symphonies, although I sometimes had the feeling that they could have done more to uncover the structures behind the works. The first symphony surprises by not sounding particularly Russian, except for occasional reminiscences of “In the Steppes of Central Asia” or the overture to “Prince Igor”. The second is much more Russian in flavor, but without in any way being “folkloristic”. The third symphony was in quite an early stage of conception at Borodin’s untimely death, and Rimsky-Korsakov’s pupil Glazunov “completed” it, using both piano and string quartet sketches by Borodin and his own memory, so that in the end you cannot really say what is Borodin and what is Glazunov. At all events, rewarding listening – and thanks to Naxos for venturing beyond the narrow limits of the normal concert repertoire.

Note written some time later: I have just heard the recording of these symphonies with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra directed by Neemi Järvi on Deutsche Grammophon. And I was right: the majors CAN do it better. There is a clarity and finesse here that the Gunzenhauser, good though it is, lacks.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Very Good Borodin Symphony Starter!, January 25, 2004

By 

Paul Rossi "Paul Rossi" (Walla Walla, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Borodin: Symphonies 1-3 (Audio CD)

A good friend of mine allowed me to borrow and listen to this CD. Borodin is one of my absolute favorite Russian composers, so I try to listen to as many different recordings of his symphonies as possible.

To be perfectly honest, this CD holds up fairly well to the competition. Stephen Gunzenhauser and his Czech orchestra give very admirable heartfelt performances of these great works. They play well in tune, are rhythmically coordinated, and are balanced well with one another.

However, due to some stiff competition, there are better recordings of these works with greater sonic output, better technical facility, and a greater sense of romanticism, contrast, and soul. Examples of this include the great budget recording of the Second Symphony by Ole Schmidt, Evgeny Svetlanov's recordings of these works, and (especially) the Neeme Jarvi box set of the Borodin symphonies, "In the Steppes of Central Asia," the "Petite Suite," and the famous Romance from Borodin's Second String Quartet.

This said, you cannot beat these performances of the three Borodin Symphonies for this price. There is no comparison in the budget bracket. Plus, you get all the symphonies on only one CD. If you just want an introduction to the Borodin symphonies or want to supplement your existing collection, I recommend this CD without reservations. However, if you want the best performance available for quite a bit more money (and searching!), I recommend the Jarvi set.