I haven't been bowled over by the last two Leonard Slatkin discs I've reviewed. I found his Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique somewhat over-refined, and he seemed disengaged in his view of Ravel: Orchestral Works, Vol. 1. But he finds the mark in this new CD of Rachmaninov's Third Symphony. A certain amount of reserve is an advantage in a work that can seem over-ripe and flacid when the conductor is too self-indulgent. Slatkin finds the back-bone in this highly romantic music, and he has the tools to produce a thrilling reading of the piece. Those tools include a rich string sound and strong brass from the Detroit players, and a vivid and absolutely lifelike sound from the Naxos engineers. With a similarly taut, lively and intelligent reading of the Symphonic Dances included, this disc is a real winner. It might even win some new fans for a composer whose reputation in this century seems lower than it was in the last.
No comments:
Post a Comment