7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Performances Except..., May 30, 2007
This review is from: Sibelius - Symphony No.7, Prokofiev - Andante for String Orchestra, Glazunov - 'Scenes de Ballet' for Orchestra - Gennady Rozhdestvensky (Audio CD)
Gennady Rozhdestvensky is one of my favorite conductors so this CD had an immediate interest particularly for the Sibelius. The Sibelius Seventh Symphony (1924) begins beautifully with the mysterious melody of the first movement expressively played. When the trombone player begins the "Aino" theme, however, he plays so loudly that one wonders if a microphone was hanging directly over him. The trombonist, and the brass in gerneral, play rather crudely which makes this performance the exception of the others on this disc.
The other Sibelius work on the disc is an early work that I was unfamiliar with. Rakastava for Strings was written in 1911 and is based on Finnish folk melodies. The movements have titles: The Lover, The Path of the Beloved and Good Evening! Farewell. Together the movements suggest a day in the lives of two lovers who meet, have a joyous time and part wondering when they will meet again. The first movement is meditative with passionate outbursts music is moody and is followed by a sort lively, dance-like movement. The final movement is one of resignation and sweet melancholy as if looking back over a happy time that is now over and wondering if there will be another.
The Andante for String Orchestra by Prokofiev was written in 1930 and is an appealing lyrical work. The Scenes de Ballet of Glazunov is a charming suite of written in 1894 as his first venture into ballet music. The suite contains some beautiful and memorable melodies and the performance made the purchase of this disc worth it for me. If you like the ballets of Tchaikovsky this suite will be perfect for your collection.
Overall the sound is on the dry side. I became accustomed to the sound as the disc played. With the exception of the Sibelius the performances are excellent.
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