Customer Reviews

Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances/ Vocalise/ Etudes-tableaux

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Let's be clear from the beginning: if there is a better-sounding CD than this one, let's hear it. Even if you don't particularly care for Rachmaninoff, or conductor Eiji Oue, or the Minnesota Orchestra, you owe to yourself to experience their work - especially when captured by one of the finest recording companies around.

I'll state right away that the "Symphonic Dances," the composer's last orchestral piece, is my favorite Rachmaninoff work. The version I treasure is (still) with Vladimir Ashkenazy conducting the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra on an outstanding Decca recording from the early 1980's (now back in print, and at a budget price, too). Ashkenazy's crisp tempi and the orchestra's dark colors suit the piece perfectly, generating a huge amount of excitement.

But even this magnificent project is trumped by this CD from Reference Recordings, a small but superb label based in San Francisco. After just one hearing, I was shaking my head in disbelief and wanting to hear more examples of the company's work.

The "Symphonic Dances" is easily worth the entire disc, with powerful rhythms and glittering orchestrations that showcase what a great orchestra can do. The "Vocalise" is lovely, and the Respighi version of the "Etudes-Tableaux" is even more fascinating if you are familiar with Rachmaninoff's original for solo piano. Throughout the program, Eiji Oue and the Minnesota Orchestra do a terrific job; great artists make this music sound easy to play. Some of Oue's tempi are slightly slower than I prefer, but there is no denying the conductor's abilities, not to mention the orchestra's virtuosity.

But it is the amazingly vivid, present, crystal-clear sound here that will make you go "wow." Some of the percussion effects, particularly from the triangle and cymbals, are breathtaking in their realism. For anyone with a state-of-the-art music system, a recording like this would probably be near-essential, if only to show off to your friends. Highly recommended, and of course begs the question, "Why can't all recordings sound like this?"

*
I agree that the quality and clarity of this recording is as good as it gets.

The Rachmaninov music is a bit different from other romantic music I've listened to. Not "bad" different. No weird stuff
here. The music changes moods. From thunderous percussion to the announcements of the trumpets, to the glassy
strings, and softer woodwinds, everything gets wrapped up into a neat package. This music has energy, imagination,
thoughtfulness, quiet action, and beauty. All of the pieces on this CD are well worth it.

I thank the reviewers here. This is one of my favorite CD's.
*

I'll start by saying I own every cd the Minnesota Orchestra has recorded in the past 10 years. I love them all, but some stand out more than others as a definitive recording of a specific work. While I enjoy this cd, a couple of small items keep the recording of Symphonic Dances by Ashkenazy and the Concertgebouw Orchestra as my top pick. First, I am unimpressed with the principal oboe in the Minnesota Orchestra version - particularly in the first movement. The tone is harsh and sounds uncontrolled, and the intonation isn't great in the oboe/clarinet exchange halfway through the first movement. I also prefer the saxophone solo much more in the Concertgebouw recording - in the MN version the solo sounds slightly under pitch the entire time, and the phrasing lacks direction. I think the first movement of the MN recording is too slow, and the strings don't sound as rich and full as the Concertgebouw, which is strange, as I have heard both orchestras live and have always preferred the MN Orchestra string section over most any orchestra out there. With these comments said, the recording quality of the MN cd is crystal clear and it is a very solid recording - any Rachmaninov/Symphonic Dances lover will find this a good companion cd to the Concertgebouw.

I don't at all care for "demonstration" recordings. Whether a recording sounds just like a train, thunder or even cannon shots (1821 Overture) means nothing to me. I'm after realism in music. This disc is clearly one of the best recordings of classical music ever. The performances are really great, but I'm talking quality of recorded sound here. Up until now I would have said that either the Shaham or Carmignola versions of The Four Seasons set the standard (with perhaps the latest Sony choral version of Night On A Bare Mountain thrown in for good measure), but this recording is unbelievable. I doubt whether those without a HDCD feature on their CD player will get the full benefit of it, though. I would say out of thousands of classical CDs that I have bought this one is the one I would want to have around when I show someone the speakers I'm trying to sell them just how good those speakers can sound. I agree completely with the in-house Amazon review of how lovely the music sounds, too.

I LOVE THIS ALBUM!

I purchased the "HRx" format of this album directly from Reference Recordings. (The HRx-Format is a data-disc that carries WAVE-audio computer files in a 176.4KHz/24-bit sampling rate! An audio-CD has a sampling rate of 44.1KHz/16-bit, roughly one-eighth the resolution of the HRx-album. The HRx is the highest resolution music available and can only be played on a PC, no home stand-alone player (other than some very rare professional recording studio equipment) has ever been manufactured that is compatible with these recordings. (The HRx albums are all hand-made at Reference Recordings and are exact studio replicas, they have a MSRP of $55 each + shipping, AMAZON.COM! STOCK THIS FORMAT!)

Because of this, I wanted to purchase the audio-CD of this album to be compatible with ALL CD and DVD players. It is an exceptional recording (all Reference Recordings albums are), but the music-content is WONDERFUL. It is my favorite classical album. And for the audiophiles out there, this disc is HDCD-encoded. I do not yet own a HDCD-compatible player, however the recording is STILL superior to most CD-recordings.

The Symphonic Dances aren't programmed as often as they should be in the concert hall, so they amount to an extra treat. Rachmaninoff, while writing with typical brilliance, avoided repeating himself and offering another "Symphony No. 2" by choosing daring orchestration, especially the breathtaking use of the alto sax as the solo instrument in the first dance and the piano as tuned percussion. The effect is dazzling. This is a top-notch recording and makes one wonder why Eiji Oue didn't hit the big time at one of America's major orchestras instead of returning to Japan. A beautiful program expertly recorded.

I'm wasn't familiar with the Symphonic Dances until buying this CD, and it has quickly become one of my favourites. The performance is excellent, and the sound quality is top knotch audiophile level, like most of the RR CDs.

I enjoy symphonic music and I found it to be a passionate and precise Rachmaninoff piece, but I purchased this because several audiophiles raved about the exceptional fidelity of this recording.
Robert Harley discussed this as an exemplary recording. I have a pretty fancy system and this is probably one of the very best audio reproductions that I have ever experienced. It should be considered a reference or test recording to check out your system. On this basis alone it is highly recommended.

I bought the Reference Recording CD of Rachmaninoff Symphonic Dances,here conducted by Eiji Oue and the Minnesota Orchestra, hoping to have an exhilarating audio experience, but alas, it was sorely lacking, at least for me, and it did not at all compare with the Turnabout recording with Donald Johanos and the Dallas Symphony, but then again, what else does? The Turnabout is one of the best recordings I ever heard. It is a prime example of recording quality, performance, sound stage, and all of this on an ordinary budget label!!! I find it rather unbelievable that Mr. Johanos would not become as well known as any of the great conductors of the '60s and 70s, considering what he got to bring out of the Dallas Symphony players, just breathtaking and unbelievable.
So forget about the Reference Recordings one, but definitely, definitely get Turnabout one... it will turn you about!!!