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Product Details
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| 1. Fantasia On A Theme By Thomas Tallis - Erich Gruenberg & Jeremy Painter/Frederick Riddle/David Strange |
| 2. Dido's Lament (From Dido And Aeneas) |
| 3. Serenade in E, Op.22: I. Moderato |
| 4. Serenade in E, Op.22: II. Tempo Di Valse |
| 5. Serenade in E, Op.22: III. Scherzo (Vivace) |
| 6. Serenade in E, Op.22: IV. Larghetto |
| 7. Serenade in E, Op.22: V. Finale (Allegro Vivace) |
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Truly essential listening at mid-price !,
By
This review is from: Stokowski conducts Vaughan Williams/Dvorak/Purcell (Audio CD)
This is one of the two legendary recordings Stokowski made in1975 (aged 93!) with the obscure indie label Desmar. They've neverbeen available on cd, I guess for [certain] problems (Desmar folded shortly afterwards), and EMI has done a wonderful job in re-issueing them . Nowadays every performance from the past is billed as "legendary" , but this word can be properly used about these two releases. While the other disc is, in my opinion, the definitive recording of the Rachmaninov 3rd sym., from the conductor who premiered it and worked closer than any other with the composer, this one is, quite simply, the most amazing rendition of the RVW Fantasia I've ever encountered. Sometimes mistakenly intended as a "simple" string showpiece, the Fantasia is a most difficult piece, that requires a balance of totale dedication and unerring control, otherwise it can easily sound static, or too syrupy, or too mystic , which was not intended to be (not in the strictly religious sense, at least ). Thankfully there are some great performances around, like Previn's, Haitink's or Boult's, but I think no one like Stokowski strikes such a perfect blend of concentration, heartfelt dedication and forward momentum. Only Barbirolli matches him, but here the playing is even more refined, and the sound is altogether superior. Stokowski's performance is, at the same time, somber and poignantly passionate , majestic and most finely nuanced. The string "layers" are splendidly balanced, the antiphonal interaction between the two orchestras achieves an unprecedented clarity. No gloss at the expense of depth, though: the hushed beginning is ethereal, while the ecstatic climax is glorious. The Old Magician also extracts the most ravishing sounds from the RPO, that here truly boasts that blend of unity, precision and warmth normally associated with the Concertgebouw or the golden age Philadelphia. This alone is worth the price, but we also get a most charming, even though idiosyncratic in tempi, performance of the Dvorak, and a real gem, the Stokowski "transfiguration" of the Purcell. I usually like my ancient music "authentic" but no one like Stokowski ( neither Schonberg nor Respighi or Elgar in their transcriptions) knew how to make the old masters shine like he did with Bach, and this Purcell transcription is absolutely marvelous. A guilty pleasure, maybe, but who cares, when the music making is so glorious? The Desmar releases were also famous for their sound, and deservedly so. The careful digital remastering has preserved the splendidly three-dimensional soundstage and, above all, the uncanny realism of the strings tone rendition. I'm not usually inclined to "analogue nostalgia", but this is really superior to many chilly DDD recordings. The presentation is overall first class: there's even a picture of the (splendid) original LP covers.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An essential listening experience at mid-price !,
By
This review is from: Stokowski conducts Vaughan Williams/Dvorak/Purcell (Audio CD)
This is one of the two legendary recordings Stokowski made at 93 with the obscure independent label Desmar, available for the first time in cd. Nowadays every performance from the past seems to be "legendary" , but this word is not improperly used here. While the other disc is,in my opinion, the definitive recording of the Rachmaninov 3rd symphony, from the conductor who premiered it and worked closer than any other with the composer, this one is, very simply, the final account of the RVW fantasia. This is a most difficult piece, because it can sound too syrupy, or too austere, or too religious, which was not intended to be. There are notable achievements like Previn's, Haitink's or Barbirolli's, but I think no one like Stokowski strikes the perfect balance of concentration, heartfelt dedication and forward momentum, giving us a performance which is at the same time somber and poignant, majestic and most finely nuanced (never I heard in a so clearly the antiphonal action between the two orchestras !) He also coaxes the most ravishing sounds from the RPO strings, here displaying the blend of unity, precision and warmth normally associated with the Concertgebouw or the golden age Philadelphia. This alone is worth the price, but we also get a most charming, even though idiosyncratic, performance of the Dvorak, and a real gem, the Stokowski "transfiguration" of the Purcell. I usually like my ancient music "authentic" but no one like Stokowski ( neither Schonberg nor Respighi or Elgar in their transcriptions) knew how to make the old masters glow like he did with Bach, and the Purcell is also very beautiful. The engineering is absolutely stunning in its clarity and velvety tone, really the best of the analogue age near its end. I urge you to get this.
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