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."