Search - Khachaturian, Dorati, Lso :: Gayne Ballet Music

A Vintage, but Rivetting Performance

J. Garcia | New Mexico, USA | 07/06/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"While the combination of the ebullient Khachaturian and the introspective Shostakovich is a stark contrast, this remastered performance certainly has a lot to offer. The LSO combines a folk-tune feeling, technical prowess, and just a dash of necessary annoyance to make Gayane an entertaining, if raucous show. The well-known Sabre Dance is lively and energetic, and some of the lesser known dances (such as the Dance of the Rose Maidens and the Lullaby) are both unique and colorful. The final tune, Lezghinka, breezes by with powerful (but controlled) snare drum and splendid runs in the strings.



Skrowaczewski leads the Minneapolis Symphony in a divergent, yet vibrant Shostakovich Symphony. More than the previous suite, this performance suffers from harmonic distortion (primarily in the occasionally brash trumpets and often tinny violins), but it is evident that the orchestra is not responsible for this. The horns are tragically underbalanced in vital, exposed sections of the second movement. The piece as a whole is highly impressive and worthy of study by any fan of the Shostakovich Fifth, especially for Skrowaczewski's novel interpretation of tempos in the well-known finale."

Colorful Khachaturian ... sh**ty Shostakovich

Classic Music Lover | Maryland, USA | 06/25/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The Gayne excerpts just don't get any more exciting than in this vibrant performance by Antal Dorati and the LSO at the peak of this orchestra's powers in the 1960s. The Shostakovich 5th is another story. Not only is Skrowaczewski's interpretation devoid of any special spark, it's clear that he had much less command or discipline over the Minneapolis forces compared to his predecessor (coincidentally, Antal Dorati). Contrast the orchestra here with the last recordings made by Dorati in Minneapolis, and you'll immediately hear the difference (a useful comparison is with the Dorati/MSO Prokofiev 5th). Here in the Shostakovich, the violins sound scrawny, the brass blatty, and the woodwinds too tentative. In later years, SS was to get better playing out of this orchestra, but the results were never much better than mediocre -- even after spending years at the helm (he was music director for nineteen l-o-n-g years; ask any MSO players or regular concert-goers how interminable his tenure seemed, and I'm sure they'll let you know!).



This is a rare dud in Mercury's otherwise exemplary Living Presence classical series."