Search - Leonard Bernstein, Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra :: Bernstein: Symphonic Dances from West Side Story; Three Dance Episodes from On The Town; Candide (Selections)

Over-equalized and Sad-Sonic Mess!

A reader | New Orleans | 05/09/2009

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I bought this CD because the Maestro himself was conducting, apparently at the end of his life, and the performances are superb. However, in this Universal branded reissue of a DGG recording, somebody thought it would be "cool" to kick up the bass and treble to very high levels, suitable for a boom-box or MP3 player with cheap cans. Sonically, this disk is a mess. This is not the traditional, slightly distant and dry DGG recording that all music lovers know. It may have started out that way, but someone monkeyed with the sound, probably running it through an equalizer set to a "smile" pattern, with the bass and treble sliders set way up. The result is loud, shrill, and unlistenable. I really hope that DGG will reissue these recordings with their original mastering intact. Why Universal-a brand unknown in classical music-would rebrand original DGG recordings is beyond comprehension. It is like putting a Yugo badge on a Rolls-Royce!"