If Only...
dzane@whidbey.net | Oak Harbor, WA USA | 02/10/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"The Seattle Symphony and Maestro Schwarz do a marvelous job on this classic masterpiece. They almost, but not quite, make up for the low quality recording. DELOS recorded this cd in the Opera House in Seattle 10 years ago. At the beginning of the "Sunrise" and "Painted Desert" movements the music is barely there and unless you have high quality playback equipment the accompanying noise almost overpowers the music. The same can be said of the horn echoes at the beginning of "Sunset." Playback on better equipment yields far better results but it seems DELOS would have known to "hold the microphones a little closer.""Billy the Kid" and "Rodeo" are exceptional, particularly the familiar, "Hoedown". The Seattle Symphony is magnificent as always. I would love to hear them do The Grand Canyon Suite live, WOW! I believe this performance should be considered "definitive." If only..."