Desert island Berlioz?
S. Swellander | San Antonio, TX | 12/01/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If you are looking for an ideal recording of the Symphonie Fantastique , this is a worthy candidate. This Berlioz classic has a crowded recording history, so it's really impossible to make a single definitive choice out of the many fine (and not so fine) renditions. This one and Charles Munch's 1960s recording with the Boston Symphony Orchestra are at the top of my Berlioz hit chart (not the 1954 Munch recording in the Living Stereo SACD series, though that, too, is quite fine).
It is important to know that this Colin Davis recording is available in several releases, most of which are cheaper than this one. Only buy this Pentatone release if you have a multichannel SACD set up. This is the classic 1974 recording that has been remastered many times by Phillips Classics. Pentatone specializes in high quality multichannel recordings and includes a Quadro series of scrupulously remastered quadrophonic recordings from the Phillips catalog--multichannel recordings that never saw the light of day until the recent advent of Super Audio Compact Discs. So, if you have only stereo, buy a less expensive Phillips release of this recording. But, if you have multichannel SACD, by all means avail yourself of this release.
Colin Davis has recorded this piece at least four times, not counting video releases. He is an acknowledged master of Berlioz' music, and this recording is widely acclaimed as one of the very finest Fantastiques. I have not heard his earlier London Symphony recording or his later digital Vienna Philharmonic recording, which has also been released as a multichannel DVD-A. I was disappointed with his most recent live LSO recording. Sonically, it's recessed and unengaging. Go with the Concertgebouw. The 1974 sound is still impressive and the performance is electrifying. The original quadrophonic recording is presented faithfully in four channels rather than 5.1. The four channel treatment opens up the space of the recording with plenty or natural rear reverberation. The 3D effect reveals detail not heard in stereo.
The performance is classic and hardly needs further comment. The Witch's Sabbath is a truly menacing spiral through hell.
Pentatone Quadro SACDs are hybrid with both a high resolution and a standard 16 bit layer, so you may listen to classic Phillips quad recordings on your home multichannel setup the way they were meant to be enjoyed and still rip the CD layer to your mp3 player.
If you can find enough electrical inputs for a high resolution multichannel sound setup after you wash up on your desert island, then pop this baby in and enjoy."
Recording of choice
Jeff Brown | Portland, OR | 06/01/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"There are so many good recordings of this work, that it can be hard to find one. I have owned this one from the beginning and it seems that all other good versions just fall short. A tremendous amount of emotion is conveyed here. I love the Dies irae here - wonderfully frightening. This is a definite upgrade over the standard definition and PentaTone should be commended for their ability to turn these older recordings into ones that sound modern. Everything great on the standard definition is more on the SACD layers. In standard definition this beats all the other options, in SACD is leaves them all in the dust. Highly recommended."
![Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique [Hybrid SACD]](https://nationalbookswap.com/cd//l/50/9350/6159350.jpg)