Search - Berlioz, Mackerras, Rpo :: Carnaval Romain / Symphonie Fantastique

Not bad at all

Ryan Richards | Midland, MI United States | 12/10/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I picked up this CD for a very, very low price, ecstatic that I was getting the wonderful sound of the Royal Philharmonic *and* the precision conducting of Sir Charles Mackerras. On the overall, I wasn't disappointed. Sir Charles and the RPO offer warm, rich, vivacious interpretations of the symphony and the overture, with precision playing and explosive sound. I was slightly irked, however, by the imbalance of that sound: although the liner notes claim you'll be able to hear every section in the orchestra, in reality the recording is brass-heavy, with the trumpets in particular drowning out the strings and winds at several key moments. In addition, Sir Charles takes "The Ball" at an oddly slow pace--until the end, which he rushes right through. The best recording of this symphony I ever heard came from the Berlin Philharmonic under James Levine, but as far as I can tell that's out of print now. In its absence, this is a fine interpretation of Berlioz' most famous work, and it won't disappoint you if you add it to your collection--in fact, with this kind of quality playing tied to this kind of bargain price, it's a great CD to introduce you to the Symphonie Fantastique as well."

Knockout Berlioz

HB | Fort Mill, SC | 04/24/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I picked up this magnificent CD at a dollar store. I guess that old saying "you get what you paid for" is not always true. One buck for a great CD is an astonishing bargain. The performances are simply wonderful, especially the playing of the Royal Philharmonic. Mackerras takes a very strange repeat in the fourth movement. I have never heard it before. If this was a bad performance, I would hate this repeat. But the performance is so entertaining, I simply enjoyed listening again. If you can find this CD, buy it. You will not regret it."