Isaac Albeniz Georges Bizet Erich Kunzel - Bolro Music by Ravel Borodin Bizet (15 tracks) +Album Reviews

MUDDY SOUNDING GARBAGE!

Soul Bird | 09/21/2008

(1 out of 5 stars)

"The first customer review praising the clarity of sound is what lead me to buy this disc. Unfortunately the sound of this Telarc SACD has a "digital glaze" and sounds smeared with no "bite." In other words, it's a terribly disappointing awful sounding SACD. This Telarc SACD is so bad that even way older analog recordings from over 50 years ago reissued on Mercury SACD annihilate this new supposed "state-of-the-art" digital recording (see my review on the Paul Paray Conducts Chabrier SACD). Don't waste your money on this turkey!"

Superb

A reader | New Orleans | 11/30/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Bolero may seem like one of the simplest pieces to perform, but it is actually very challenging. The individual performers must keep tempo until their turn comes and then the entire orchestra must carefully increase tempo and forte until the end. Kunzel has done a wonderful, well-disciplined job. He grasps the reins firmly to keep each soloist and the whole orchestra on tempo without running amuck.

The other selections are excellent, although I might have chosen some Debussy dance pieces over some of the Borodin. Nonetheless, this disc is an interesting buffet of music.

The sonics are very fine indeed. An earlier reviewer who complained of digital glaze needs to hear the SACD on a high-end HT set-up, using highly revealing speakers, like my Klipsch Cornwalls. What impressed me was not only the clarity of the individual instruments, but the clarity of the bars where the entire orchestra is going all out. Many recordings-analog and digital-just lose cohesion and we hear an amorphous blob of sound. Not so here. Even in the last, powerful bars of Bolero, we can pick out individual instruments. This means that the mic'ing was done with great skill. Mic'ing is half the recording, just as the lens is half (or more) of the photographic result. Yet it is too often given short-shrift and some otherwise excellent recordings with top-flight orchestras have been botched thereby."

Watch out for the bass drum!

P. Beltz | 06/24/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have been disappointed with some of TELARC releases in SACD for being

too distant and no oomph. I was hesitant on buyinng this release for that reason,but I love Bolero. I was not disappointed.

Kunzel and his troops have presented here a rousing good time. Sound is close-up andclear. Bolero is brisk and well-defined. The bass drum at the end will give subwoofer a workout as it does throghout the other works

There are several nice selections from Borodin,a delightful suite from

Bizet's Carmen. It finishes with a piece from Albinez's Iberia

I realize there are many discs out there with Bolero,but with these selections,and Telarc's SACD sonics,go for it"

Bolero as it should be heard

Bryan Leech | Melbourne, VIC, Australia | 07/14/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Years ago my local orchestra gave out the most memorable Bolero I have ever heard. Since then I have been looking for a recording to match that performance without success, until now. Kunzel leads his responsive ensemble through a performance of this familiar work that is unlikely to be bettered for a long time.

The SACD contains a totally enjoyable program. I almost didn't buy it because of over-familiarity with the Carmen Suites. But Kunzel has looked at these scores afresh and reveals detail in the orchestration that I never new was there. These interpretations make the two suites sound like new arrangements, such is the detailed attention to the score. Almost in their original form is a suite of extracts from the works of Borodin all used in the creation of Kismet. It is a novel idea to hear selections from Kismet in their original guise. To conclude is one of the brilliant movements from Albeniz' Iberia. The orchestration (by Arbos)is so rich, it is hard to believe the piece was originally for piano.

There are many collections of shorter familiar classics. this stands apart for two reasons.

Kunzel has been honing his orchestra for some years, and it is on the way to joining the top-ranked American orchestras. Solos in the quieter sections emerge with great musical warmth and technical skills. In the tuttis, one hears an orchestra that produces a polished ensemble sound. The players are listening to each other and very intent on producing the highest standard of musical performance, and they succeed in that intent. This is playing of a very high standard.

The other quality that stands out is the sound. For years, Telarc was famous for the sound quality of their recordings. Then they entered a period of some inconsistency. Now they re-emerge, showing off the capabilities of SACD technology to the fullest. From the gentlest sounds (listen to the end where the orchestra fades, without the help of the engineers, into nothing in a most exquisite ending to the Albeniz). Yet remarkable clarity and warmth is maintained in the loudest efforts of the full orchestra. Kunzel has gone for a touch of showmanship, allowed him by the dynamic range of the recording. But he never compromizes the music.

This pure DSD SACD is in the demonstration class, as is the musical performance. A recording certainly worth adding to your collection."

Search - Isaac Albeniz, Georges Bizet, Erich Kunzel :: Boléro: Music by Ravel, Borodin, Bizet [Hybrid SACD]

CD Details

Similar CDs

CD Reviews