Orchestral Works
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Georges Bizet
Label: EMI
Magazine Review Date: 11/1987
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 65
Mastering:
ADD
Catalogue Number: 747794-2
Tracks:
| Composition | Artist Credit |
|---|---|
| Symphony |
Georges Bizet, Composer
French Radio National Orchestra Georges Bizet, Composer Thomas Beecham, Conductor |
| (L')Arlésienne - Suites |
Georges Bizet, Composer
Georges Bizet, Composer Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Thomas Beecham, Conductor |
Composer or Director: Igor Stravinsky, Sergey Prokofiev, Georges Bizet
Label: Ovation
Magazine Review Date: 11/1987
Media Format: Cassette
Media Runtime: 0
Mastering:
ADD
Catalogue Number: 417 734-4DB
Tracks:
| Composition | Artist Credit |
|---|---|
| Symphony |
Georges Bizet, Composer
Academy of St Martin in the Fields Georges Bizet, Composer Neville Marriner, Conductor |
| Symphony No. 1, 'Classical' |
Sergey Prokofiev, Composer
Academy of St Martin in the Fields Neville Marriner, Conductor Sergey Prokofiev, Composer |
| Pulcinella |
Igor Stravinsky, Composer
Academy of St Martin in the Fields Igor Stravinsky, Composer Neville Marriner, Conductor |
Composer or Director: Igor Stravinsky, Sergey Prokofiev, Georges Bizet
Label: Ovation
Magazine Review Date: 11/1987
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 69
Mastering:
ADD
Catalogue Number: 417 734-2DM
Tracks:
| Composition | Artist Credit |
|---|---|
| Symphony |
Georges Bizet, Composer
Academy of St Martin in the Fields Georges Bizet, Composer Neville Marriner, Conductor |
| Symphony No. 1, 'Classical' |
Sergey Prokofiev, Composer
Academy of St Martin in the Fields Neville Marriner, Conductor Sergey Prokofiev, Composer |
| Pulcinella |
Igor Stravinsky, Composer
Academy of St Martin in the Fields Igor Stravinsky, Composer Neville Marriner, Conductor |
Composer or Director: Igor Stravinsky, Sergey Prokofiev, Georges Bizet
Label: Ovation
Magazine Review Date: 11/1987
Media Format: Vinyl
Media Runtime: 0
Mastering:
ADD
Catalogue Number: 417 734-1DB
Tracks:
| Composition | Artist Credit |
|---|---|
| Symphony |
Georges Bizet, Composer
Academy of St Martin in the Fields Georges Bizet, Composer Neville Marriner, Conductor |
| Symphony No. 1, 'Classical' |
Sergey Prokofiev, Composer
Academy of St Martin in the Fields Neville Marriner, Conductor Sergey Prokofiev, Composer |
| Pulcinella |
Igor Stravinsky, Composer
Academy of St Martin in the Fields Igor Stravinsky, Composer Neville Marriner, Conductor |
Author: Ivan March
Comparing these three CDs has been a joy. They are all desirable and certainly distinguished in different ways, and to choose one as a best buy is almost impossible. On grounds of recorded sound, however, there is a clear first choice. Haitink's Philips coupling of the Symphony with a deliciously sparkling Jeux d'enfants was regarded as a demonstration disc in its LP days and this aspect of the analogue recording's excellence remains, particularly in the translucently vivid textures of Jeux d'enfants, a work which matches the Symphony in its charm. Within the warm Amsterdam Concertgebouw acoustics the Symphony is made to sound particularly spacious, the slow movement serene, with the most lovely playing from all concerned. The fill-up of Debussy's Danses sacree et profane is also radiantly beautiful.
However, the Decca CD also sounds pretty well and is offered at mid price, while having the most generous playing time of all. The recordings are all classics from Marriner's vintage ASMF Argo period and the ensemble in all three works is superbly polished and stylish. The neo-classicism of Pulcinella fits in nicely, with Prokofiev adopting a similar mantle and the elegance of Bizet so strikingly brought out in the slow movement oboe solo. Of course in Beecham's hands this famous melody is made to sound wonderfully songful and although the French orchestral playing is less than ideally polished (at the beginning and end of the Adagio intonation is not quite secure), the joie de vivre of Beecham's performance is irresistible. What makes the Beecham disc doubly desirable are the marvellous RPO wind solos (and, of course, the haunting strings in the Adagietto) inL'Arlesienne. The performances of these two suites stand head and shoulders above present CD competition, their loving finesse combines evocative magic (the ''Intermezzo'' of No. 2) with wonderful rhythmic vivacity and sparkle (the closing ''Farandole''). The refurbishing of the recordings is remarkably successful, especially L'Arlesienne. The Symphony has rather more resonance in the bass than the crisp but slightly dry effect Decca's digital remastering has given to the ASMF. Here just a little of the bloom has gone, but the vividness of detail and the sense of orchestral presence is striking. Especially so in the ''Vivo'' from Pulcinella, where the engineers do a little cunning manipulation (the level rises slightly) to give great projection to the duet for trombones and double basses. The Decca sound is at its finest in the Prokofiev, a naturally paced account that stands up against any more modern competition.'
However, the Decca CD also sounds pretty well and is offered at mid price, while having the most generous playing time of all. The recordings are all classics from Marriner's vintage ASMF Argo period and the ensemble in all three works is superbly polished and stylish. The neo-classicism of Pulcinella fits in nicely, with Prokofiev adopting a similar mantle and the elegance of Bizet so strikingly brought out in the slow movement oboe solo. Of course in Beecham's hands this famous melody is made to sound wonderfully songful and although the French orchestral playing is less than ideally polished (at the beginning and end of the Adagio intonation is not quite secure), the joie de vivre of Beecham's performance is irresistible. What makes the Beecham disc doubly desirable are the marvellous RPO wind solos (and, of course, the haunting strings in the Adagietto) in
Bizet Orchestral Works
Orchestral Works
Orchestral Works
Orchestral Works
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