On this evidence, the arrival of Constantine Orbelian as Music Director of the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, the first American to hold such a post in Russia, has failed to re-ignite the spark of Rudolf Barshai’s once great ensemble. So what if all the music on the disc dates from 1917? The coupling is an unhelpful one and what should be its chief attraction proves in the event to be something of an embarrassment. It is difficult to determine whether the conductor intended to transform the lithe and witty Visions fugitives into a decadent, Scriabinish dirge or whether the slow tempos are the result of inadequate rehearsal time. The Molto giocoso (track 8) is a fair sample – lethargic, scrappy and rhythmically inert. Anyone lucky enough to possess Sir Neville Marriner’s analogue LP (Argo, 10/73 – nla) will know how effective Barshai’s arrangements can be. He scored 15 out of the 20 pieces, although the extended playing time of the present version might lead you to expect more. Sound quality is rather poor and one wonders if Chandos are wise to risk compromising their reputation for sonic excellence with bought-in product of this kind. In the First Violin Concerto, Ilya Grubert is so closely recorded that you are less aware of his distinctive, dark tone and fine articulation than of the occasional lapses of intonation that can mar less challenging passages. The “imaginative orchestral strokes” to which David Nice refers in his booklet-note go for very little when the orchestra are a dull blur at the other end of the studio.
Better balanced, the Classical Symphony is the highlight, with some genuinely spirited playing in the finale to offset the rather dour quality of earlier movements. It isn’t enough but it conveys in full measure the sense of joyful engagement lacking elsewhere.'