Carnaval Romain / Symphonie Fantastique

Berlioz (Artist), Mackerras (Artist), Rpo (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 22, 1998)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Intersound Records
• ASIN: B00000DGW7
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #832,298 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Le carnaval romain (Roman Carnival Overture), ouverture catactéristique for orchestra, H.95 (Op. 9)

2. Symphonie fantastique for orchestra ('Episode de la vie d'un Artiste...en cinq parties'), H.48 (Op. 14): Visions and passions

3. Symphonie fantastique for orchestra ('Episode de la vie d'un Artiste...en cinq parties'), H.48 (Op. 14): Un bal: Valse, Allegro non t

4. Symphonie fantastique for orchestra ('Episode de la vie d'un Artiste...en cinq parties'), H.48 (Op. 14): Scene au champ, Adagio

5. Symphonie fantastique for orchestra ('Episode de la vie d'un Artiste...en cinq parties'), H.48 (Op. 14): Marche au supplice, Allegro

6. Symphonie fantastique for orchestra ('Episode de la vie d'un Artiste...en cinq parties'), H.48 (Op. 14): Songe d'une nuit du Sabbat

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Knockout Berlioz, April 23, 2006

By 

HB "HB" (Fort Mill, SC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Carnaval Romain / Symphonie Fantastique (Audio CD)

I picked up this magnificent CD at a dollar store. I guess that old saying "you get what you paid for" is not always true. One buck for a great CD is an astonishing bargain. The performances are simply wonderful, especially the playing of the Royal Philharmonic. Mackerras takes a very strange repeat in the fourth movement. I have never heard it before. If this was a bad performance, I would hate this repeat. But the performance is so entertaining, I simply enjoyed listening again. If you can find this CD, buy it. You will not regret it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not bad at all, December 10, 2002

By 

Ryan Richards "reb77" (Midland, MI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Carnaval Romain / Symphonie Fantastique (Audio CD)

I picked up this CD for a very, very low price, ecstatic that I was getting the wonderful sound of the Royal Philharmonic *and* the precision conducting of Sir Charles Mackerras. On the overall, I wasn't disappointed. Sir Charles and the RPO offer warm, rich, vivacious interpretations of the symphony and the overture, with precision playing and explosive sound. I was slightly irked, however, by the imbalance of that sound: although the liner notes claim you'll be able to hear every section in the orchestra, in reality the recording is brass-heavy, with the trumpets in particular drowning out the strings and winds at several key moments. In addition, Sir Charles takes "The Ball" at an oddly slow pace--until the end, which he rushes right through. The best recording of this symphony I ever heard came from the Berlin Philharmonic under James Levine, but as far as I can tell that's out of print now. In its absence, this is a fine interpretation of Berlioz' most famous work, and it won't disappoint you if you add it to your collection--in fact, with this kind of quality playing tied to this kind of bargain price, it's a great CD to introduce you to the Symphonie Fantastique as well.