Search - Saint-Saens, Yu :: Carnival of the Animals / Symphony 3

Review from Gramophone March 1996

Bill Newman | 04/20/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Few pieces of music in the history of the gramophone can have suffered such indignities at the hands of insensitive record producers as Saint-Saëns's Third Symphony. A glance through the catalogues might suggest one is spoiled for choice, but to date I have only found two recordings which do full justice to the work. Now here's a third, although altogether different. . . this is a recording which not only deserves repeated listening but positively demands it. Yu reveals just what a magnificent piece of music this is; shorn of its customary sonic spectacle the brilliant craftsmanship of Saint-Saëns's writing is displayed in unimpeded glory. . .In The Carnival of the animals . . . Yu opts for the version for large orchestra complete with glass harmonica (adeptly played by Alasdair Malloy), and while it is again characterized by meticulous attention to detail, it is also a performance full of buoyant wit. . ."

Review from Hi-Fi News & Record Review October 1996

Bill Newman | 04/20/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"At last, a performance of Saint-Saëns's 'Organ Symphony' fit to stand alongside those of Munch (New York Philharmonic or Boston SO), Paray and the Detroit Symphony, or Toscanini with the NBC. . . Under Djong Victorin Yu the work is played straight for all it is worth, the exultant glories of Nicholas Kynaston's organ playing blending with the enviable and immediately identifiable tonal sheen that the Philharmonia has retained right to its 50th year. For once the ending of the work is not slowed down for effect. And doesn't it sound good!Carnival of the Animals is memorable on several counts: the unanimity of ensemble between the orchestra and the two remarkable young pianists (Youngho and Jinho Kim); the inclusion of a glass harmonica (Alasdair Malloy) in 'Aquarium', giving the effect of an underwater dreamworld; and the majestic use of the whole doublebass section in 'Elephant'. . .The fabulous recording, made at the Royal Festival Hall by Jonathan Wearn, captures all the excitement and all the colours with sparkling clarity and immediacy. You can't get better than this."