1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Pictures" From Long Beach, November 11, 2005
This review is from: Pictures (Audio CD)
I respectfully disagree with the previous reviewer regarding this recording by JoAnn Falletta and the Long Beach Symphony, even though my opinion may be partially based on a certain regional bias. This recording may have a few problems with sound quality; but having actually heard this orchestra in concert, there really isn't very much doubt in my mind that this is one of the best regional orchestras in America, and that this recording is proof of that.
I will, however, review what is on the CD itself, which are works by, respectively, Ottorino Respighi ("Botticelli Triptych'), Bohuslav Martinu ("Frescoes Of Piero Della Francesca") and Modeste Mussorgsky ("Pictures At An Exhibition"--in the memorable orchestral transcription by Maurice Ravel), based on paintings. All three works have great orchestral color to them and require a very solid effort on the part of both conductor and orchestra, which is indeed what Falletta and the Long Beach Symphony (an ensemble that had been under the shadow of the far more prominent Los Angeles Philharmonic, only twenty miles away) give in this recording, despite fairly minor technical flaws. It is a great move on the part of them to place the lesser known works of Respighi and Martinu beside a towering edifice like "Pictures", and create a theme recording, much like their previous "Impressions Of The Sea", which featured works by Debussy and Mendelssohn, among others. The performances themselves are first rate; and even if the L.B.S.O. isn't of the L.A. Philharmonic's caliber, its status as a great regional orchestra is secure here.
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