Search - Carl Orff, Eduardo Mata, Barbara Hendricks :: Orff: Carmina Burana (RCA Victor Basic 100, Volume 60)

Orff: Carmina Burana (RCA Victor Basic 100, Volume 60)
Carl Orff, Eduardo Mata, Barbara Hendricks
Orff: Carmina Burana (RCA Victor Basic 100, Volume 60)
Genre: Classical
 
The reason to get this account of Carmina Burana is that it features one of the best solo trios--baritone Hakan Hagegard, tenor John Aler, and soprano Barbara Hendricks--ever assembled for a recording of the piece. Otherw...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Carl Orff, Eduardo Mata, Barbara Hendricks, John Aler, Hakan Hagegard, London Symphony Orchestra
Title: Orff: Carmina Burana (RCA Victor Basic 100, Volume 60)
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: RCA
Release Date: 5/9/1995
Genre: Classical
Style: Opera & Classical Vocal
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPCs: 090266808526, 090266808526

Synopsis

Amazon.com
The reason to get this account of Carmina Burana is that it features one of the best solo trios--baritone Hakan Hagegard, tenor John Aler, and soprano Barbara Hendricks--ever assembled for a recording of the piece. Otherwise, the interpretation is fairly bland. The truth about Eduardo Mata is that he was a lightweight--a wealthy dilettante (and very nice man) whose abilities as a conductor were about three notches below the level of the orchestras with which he customarily worked. Here his inability to get disciplined playing from the Londoners is only a minor drawback, since Orff's score is so rough-hewn to begin with. Nor is it much of a problem that he loses control of the tempo in a few places, or that the men of the chorus are not always on top of the pitch or rhythm. What is more troubling is the overall lack of exuberance in the interpretation, the feeling of routine that permeates the reading. But oh, those solo numbers, they are really worth listening to! --Ted Libbey

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CD Reviews

Very Acceptable Recording
ladyofdragons | NJ, USA | 10/20/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've performed this work and heard several recordings, I caught this one on a radio show and had to listen through to the end to find out exactly which recording it was so I could buy a copy. When many orchestras and choirs perform this piece it turns out quite soupy and indestinct, some of the valuable qualities of the piece are lost. With these performers I can actually discern the articulation, and the dynamics are excellent."
In Defense of a Fine CD
Mark Jordan | Gambier, Ohio, USA | 10/23/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)

"After Ted Libbey's hatchet job of an editorial review above, I think this recording needs defending, lest serious collectors bypass it. So, Eduardo was a wealthy dilletante? So was Sir Thomas Beecham. It doesn't matter how a given artist gets started, it ultimately only matters what they have to offer. What Mata offers is a darker, less flashy version of Carmina Burana than what we usually get. Problems with pitch and tempo? I've never heard a recording of this piece yet which doesn't have those problems, and I've heard about 50 of them. And I would hardly praise the soloists over Mata. Hagegard is as routine here as he is on Shaw's recording, and Aler is unmemorable. Hendricks does offer some nice touches, though. In sum, this is an interesting, less-flashy alternative view of the score that deserves serious consideration."
Keep your finger on the volume control
Mark Kolakowski | Fair Haven, NJ United States | 07/25/2001
(3 out of 5 stars)

"Like the reviewer from Singapore, I vote for the Jochum version on DG. It has considerably more energy and panache. Even so, Mata's recording would be entirely acceptable except for the dynamic range. The variation between the loudest and softest passages is so wide that I find it difficult to set the volume acceptably. If you want to hear the softest passages, the loudest will be audible in the next county. Or, you can play engineer and adjust the volume on the fly."