Search - Tchaikovsky, Strauss :: Waltzfest

Hopalong Waltzidy

Annie Van Auken | Planet Earth | 01/30/2007

(2 out of 5 stars)

"It's difficult for an orchestra to screw up the familiar "everyman" classics-- those works that have been the staple of Sunday afternoon band concerts for generations, and although the personnel on WALTZFEST! come perilously close to disaster several times, they don't quite get there.



One thing that's noticeable with every mediocre orchestra is an inability to play 16th note (or faster) runs in unison. There's plenty of blurring and slurring on this album-- and when things really get going, its "everyman" for himself! Think: potato sack race, or a waltzer with one leg shorter than the other, and you'll have the general idea.



But were you REALLY expecting the Berlin Philharmonic at these prices?"