5.0 out of 5 stars
Like bubbles in champagne, April 29, 2011
This review is from: Gaite Parisienne / Symphonic Dances (Audio CD)
I found this sparkling and entertaining. I bought it for Offenbach's Gaite Parisianne, which was originally a ballet. This has the famous "Can-Can". There are other symphonic dances, also well done.This has a prize place in my collection.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Performances!!!, June 10, 2008
This review is from: Gaite Parisienne / Symphonic Dances (Audio CD)
I had to post a review to counter the other which cavils at technical aspects that, to me, are quibbles rather than major problems. Because the performances on this disc are almost without question magisterial-- indeed, for about half of the selections, they are the best and most exciting performances of the piece in question -- bar none!
Of course, much depends on how well you like the pieces themselves. I purchased this disc to get the Symphonic Dances, not the Gaite Parisienne. But, beginning with that, this is among the best versions of that I have ever heard. The recording is remarkably good considering its age, which goes for most of the pieces (the recording quality for the Mendelssohn Scherzo is substandard, but the rest are remarkably crisp and fresh!)
Maestro Slatkin himself rerecorded a number of the pieces on this disc-- notably the Khachaturian and Kabalevsky-- but the later performances, while well recorded, do not have the incisive playing, the verve, the fire, of the versions here with the Hollywood Bowl Symphony. The performances of the Saber Dance and the Comedian's Galop are breathtaking-- virtuosic in the extreme, and utterly thrilling. The Sailor's Dance, the Farandole and the wonderful Bacchanale, too, are here represented by the finest recorded performances. The Kabalevsky and Khachaturian fairly sizzle! Thank heaven they were re-released on CD, and it is only a pity they have gone out of print, because now, despite having four or six other recordings of most of these works, it is the ones HERE that eclipse all the others in my memory. The Waltz, the Pizzicato Polka and the Norwegian Dance also are very nice. As mentioned above, the recording quality in the Mendelssohn is poor enough to mar enjoyment, but that is the only track of which this can be said. True, the Gaite Parisienne should have been presented with each movement a separate track, but don't let that stop you: once you hear THIS Sabre Dance, THIS Galop, THIS Sailor's Dance, THIS Farandole, and THIS Bacchanale, you won't go back to others for anything but archival reasons!
A Classic Recording. So come on, Angel EMI, remaster and re-release this! (And add the separate movement cues. If I can do it on my Audacity system, you sure as shootin' ought to be able to!)
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2.0 out of 5 stars
One feature of this CD was undesirable., February 16, 2008
This review is from: Gaite Parisienne / Symphonic Dances (Audio CD)
The musical quality was good. I have this exact production on vinyl and could have made a CD here but decided to take advantage of this having been done for me already. One feature (on most CDs) is the ability to skip ahead for different segments of the piece or different numbers.
On this CD, the presentation was segmented but in a very coarse, amateurish manner. You could see where the number had just been poorly clipped between segments. Very badly done.
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