27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Some excellent tracks., August 12, 2000
This review is from: World Anthems (Audio CD)
With twenty-nine national anthems and John Williams' "Olympic Theme", this album offers a reasonable variety of anthems. (Curiously, there is nothing from the USSR/CIS/Russia!) The recording quality is excellent. The interpretation of the anthems seems to attempt to give an 'appropriate' national flavour to each one. This does not always seem to work. For example, China's "Ch'i Lai!" sounds more like incidental music than a national anthem. There is an interesting rendition of France's "La Marseillaise". While it lacks the 'big' sound usually associated with this anthem, it is distinctive - and is probably a quite good representation of how it might have sounded back in 1792. If, however, you prefer the 'big' sound this version will be a disappointment. Argentina's "Sean eternos los laurales", Canada's "O! Canada" and John Williams' "Olympic Theme" are excellent, but Belgium's "La Brabanconne/Het Belgisch Volkslied" is disappointing and dirge-like. The anthems are performed by a chamber orchestra and consequently have neither the 'big' sound of a full orchestra, nor the martial sound of a military band. The album takes a distinctive approach to the anthems. Whether this approach works is ultimately a matter of personal taste. If you enjoy the more intimate sound of a chamber orchestra, this album will probably be to your taste.
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