The first release by Curtis Studio, a new label founded by the Curtis Institute of Music, brings a warm and involving performance of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Sheherazade by the students of the Philadelphia-based organisation. The choice of a popular work that’s received relatively few recent recordings is an astute one, as is having a conductor of Osmo Vänskä’s experience and reputation.

However, although the interpretation is an ardent and often exciting one, a number of factors prevent this recording from being a strong recommendation. In particular, Vänskä’s tempos are on the slow side, which occasionally undermines the flow of the interpretation, notably in ‘The Kalender Prince’ and at the start of the ‘The Young Prince and Princess’. In addition, while concertmaster Matthew Hakkarainen delivers a delicate and expressive performance of the violin solo, his presentation of Sheherazade’s main theme has a number of agogic distortions that might prove distracting. By contrast, some of the solo woodwind-playing feels reserved and would benefit from greater individuality, especially when heard alongside the consistently excellent playing of the solo horn.

The most significant issue that impeded my enjoyment of this release is the dry and airless sound, which robs the orchestral playing of much of its tonal lustre and compares unfavourably with other available recordings, even those from the early years of stereo by Ansermet, Beecham and Monteux. I hope Curtis Studio can address this issue for their future releases. For those wishing to hear it, this new performance of Sheherazade is available on all major streaming platforms.