Search - Hector Berlioz, Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky, Lorin Maazel :: Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique; Tchaikovsky: Nutcracker Suite [Hybrid SACD]

Slick Performances in Spectacular Sound

Hank Drake | Cleveland, OH United States | 03/22/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Cleveland Orchestra under Lorin Maazel made all too few recordings for Telarc, a Cleveland based company which offered sonics far superior to the orchestra's other American label, CBS. The repertoire tended toward orchestral showpieces, doubtless intended to show off the then-new digital recording technology.



Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique was an ideal candidate to show off Telarc's sonics. As an added gimmick, Telarc's engineers rigged a microphone hookup to a nearby church, substituting the church's bells for the usual orchestral chimes in the Witches Sabbath movement. The bells were recorded in real-time with the rest of the orchestra, the player being cued via a closed circuit television. Recording considerations aside, Maazel sticks to the straight and narrow, eschewing repeats, with generally brisk tempos. This performance, while brilliant, lacks the grinding power of Boulez's later version with the same orchestra or Munch's two Boston versions.



The Tchaikovsky Nutcracker Suite is performed along the same lines (minus the church bells, of course). Pseudo-intellectual snobs like to dis Tchaikovsky as a hysterical hack who wrote gushing, over-orchestrated garbage. But the Nutcracker continues to charm, both as a ballet and as pure music. I can't think of any better composer of ballet music, only Stravinsky comes close. (Beethoven's score for The Creatures of Prometheus pales by comparison.) Maazel and the Cleveland Orchestra give a straightforward rendition, with many of the tricky rhythmic hurdles handled with almost insolent ease.



In the 1980s, it would have been hard to imagine these recordings sounding even more spectacular, but Telarc have outdone themselves. If you're looking to show off your sound system or the incredible playing of the Cleveland Orchestra, these recordings are a good fit."

Nearly Perfect......

Charles Yulish | Washington, DC | 02/17/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a colorful and wonderous performance of the Fantastique--the sonics clearly deliver every orchestral subtlety presented by the conductor. However, one personal requirement in any performance of this piece must be a dominant presence of the kettle drums--they must be forward and loud in the last two movements. The opening of the March to the Scaffold is very tepid without the ominous proclamation of the the kettle drums; we are talking public hanging and Witches Sabbath, not a muffled premonition. The best recorded complete performance I have ever heard of the Symphony Fantastique is a golden oldie collector's item on a Remington lp by Georges Sebastian and the RIAS orchestra. It is a swirly, scary and hair raising performance. It worked for me until Minoxodil became available. CBY

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