Search - George Enescu, Edouard Lalo, Maurice Ravel :: Czech Philharmonic Orchestra plays Ravel, Lalo & Enescu

Don't Let This One Pass You By!

Jeffrey Lipscomb | Sacramento, CA United States | 05/18/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This wonderful mono Supraphon CD is one of the greatest treasures in that label's entire catalog. If you don't know Constantin Silvestri (1913-1969), here's a GREAT place to get acquainted. The Romanian conductor was one of the finest virtuoso artists of the 20th Century, and this CD captures some of his most thrilling performances. The Lalo Cello Concerto(1877) receives here its finest recording on disc, with Andre Navarra an outstanding soloist. The Ravel Rapsodie Espagnole (1907) here is even better than Silvestri's later stereo account in the sadly-deleted 10-disc CD set "Silvestri: The Collection" (Disky/EMI).



But the real draw here: the utterly FABULOUS performances of Enescu's Two Romanian Rhapsodies (1901). There are other great readings of #1 by Georgescu and the composer himself (on different Dante LYS CD issues, both out of print), plus a stereo account with the Vienna Phil. by Silvestri (in that Disky box set noted above). But these delightful renditions of both Rhapsodies with the Czech Philharmonic are, without question, the ones that would go with me to the Desert Island. Just listen to those droll Czech Winds and those gutsy strings! It just doesn't get any better than this!



If you MUST have stereo for the Enescu items, the best single disc recording is on Olympia OCD 442, with Horia Andreescu conducting the Romanian National Radio Orchestra. That CD is indispensable anyhow for its fine performance of Enescu's 2nd Symphony. But when you compare the Rhapsodies on it - fine as they are - with Silvestri's, I have no doubt that you'll prefer the performances on this Supraphon issue.



Highest recommendation!"