Author: Franz Schubert
Format: Import
Release Date: 10-09-2002
Details: Time has somewhat tarnished these once highly regarded recordings. EMI's early stereo engineering was hit and miss, and not even these new remasterings can fully tame the strident string tone and hollow-sounding tuttis. Yet the performances have many virtues, including rhythmic élan, well-chosen tempos, and winsomely characterized solo playing. Above all else is Beecham's flair for shaping and projecting melodies with a cute little accent here, a dynamic surge there, and enough felicitous turns of phrase to keep the listener smiling. It's true that other conductors have elicited leaner, tauter ensemble work from their musicians (Carlos Kleiber's Third with the Vienna Philharmonic, for instance, and Fritz Reiner's neatly regimented Fifth with the Chicago Symphony). However, if you desire this uplifting group of works on one well-filled disc (and who wouldn't?), Beecham has the field to himself. --Jed Distler
UPC: 072435669992
EAN: 0724356699922
Languages: English
Binding: Audio CD
Item Condition: UsedVeryGood