Rimsky-Korsakov: Capriccio espagnol, Le Coq d'Or (suite) - Dorati
Mercury Living Presence 475 619-4
Stereo/Multichannel Hybrid
Classical - Orchestral
Rimsky-Korsakov: Capriccio espagnol, Le Coq d'Or (suite), Russian Eastern Festival Overture, Borodin: Polovtsian Dances
London Symphony Orchestra
Antal Dorati (conducter)
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Review by John Broggio - September 16, 2006
This is one of the many MLP's in which Dorati conducted the LSO. Sadly, this doesn't live up to the standard of the amazing and electrifying Stravinsky: L'oiseau de feu - Dorati from a performing or sonic perspective.
Starting with a lively, if not ideally fleet-of-foot, Capriccio Espagnol the LSO are inspired into brilliant playing which is reflected in the recording - this has clearly seen better days and there are frequent moments of harshness and some brittleness to the sound (not from the players). The suite from Le Coq d'Or has aged better from an audio perspective but too often the conducting is a bit earth-bound; I have heard more imaginative versions of this piece and there are moments of sour tuning from the brass & wind.
Moving to the Russian Easter (or Festival depending on translator) Overture, Dorati has clearly been fired up by this music and delivers the most immediately exciting performance on the disc; throughout it is well paced which leaves space for the LSO to provide a thrilling coda. We then move to arguably the most famous piece that Borodin wrote: the Polovotsian Dances (with the LSO Chorus joining). Again, this is performed with great vigour and alternate freshness when callsed for - they all sound as though they are having fun - although the choral contributions are not always ideal.
One can hope that Pentatone might persuade the RNO to record a Rimsky-Korsakov disc under Vladimir Jurowski or Channel Classics with the BFO/Fischer as they would surely trump this disc (especially from a sonic perspective) what is offered here.
Althought the detail is admirable, as alluded to earlier, the recording has very definitely seen better days and at times is so brittle that one experiences the "digititus" more often associated with RBCD.
Sadly not recommended.
Copyright © 2006 John Broggio and HRAudio.net
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