Search - Felix [1] Mendelssohn, Andre Previn, Delia Wallis :: Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream

One of Previn's most successful recordings, still a stand-ou

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 07/16/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Andre Previn was at his freshest and most involved in 1976 when he made his acclaimed recording of Mendelssohn's complete Midsummer Night's Dream music, all 57 min. worth. It's become fashionable to include some spoken dialogue (as Abbado does on his Sony recording with the Berlin Phil.) so that we can savor the melding of Mendelssohn's inspiration with Shakespeare's. Previn's version is dialogue free; even so, he is unusually alert and sparkling here.



One secret is taking slower than normal tempos, which gives the orchestra space to phrase with more imagination. You really do participate in a wordless drama of romance and magic, and thanks to EMI's sterling engineering, which highlights all the delicious detials of the LSO's playing, thrice-familiar music sounds new and engaging. That's the secret--Previn doesn't tkae a single bar for granted, so listeners old and new can immrese themselves in Mendelsoohn's immortal fairy whimsy. Even the scaling back to a smaller orchestral sound--far removed from the symphonic breadth of, say, Klemperer--makes us feel that we have traveled to a world of delicate enchantment. Highly recommended."

Enchanting music performed with just the right touch

D. R. Schryer | Poquoson, VA United States | 09/05/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Mendelssohn`s music for a Midsummer Nights Dream is suberb -- one of the greatest sets of incidental music for a play ever composed. But to be enjoyed fully this enchanting music must be performed with just the right touch, and no one has accomplished this better than Andre Previn in this recording. Only Peter Maag rivals Previn in playing this delightful music but, regretably, Maag recorded only a collection of excerpts whereas Previn presents the complete score, and not a note of this wonderful music should be missed. If you are a music lover, I beg you to acquire this recording while it is still available. And at its current low price Amazon is virtually giving this CD away."

Good but not great

Jeffrey Chan | Silicon Valley | 11/10/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a very nice performance as expected, but as usual for Previn perhaps lacking the ultimate spirit or bravado. Vocals are excellent and the playing by the LSO is just about perfect. Sound is very good, but not as good as I was hoping for. This 1976 recording could have sounded better with lower noise and more distant miking. 1976 was near the end of the analog recording era, and I can guarantee that analog recordings have sounded much better than this. The sound is not at all bad, but it's not nearly as great as it could be. Ditto the performance.



Update: I went back and re-listened on better equipment, and the sound quality on this recording is very good, if a bit close-miked as is unfortunately typical for most commercial recordings. Vocals sounds very real, and instrument sounds are generally very good. The underlying sound quality is very good and definitely better than my first listening on lesser equipment suggested."