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Conducts Berlioz
Munch, Berlioz
Conducts Berlioz
Genres: Pop, Classical
 
  •  Track Listings (12) - Disc #1
  •  Track Listings (15) - Disc #2
  •  Track Listings (26) - Disc #3
  •  Track Listings (15) - Disc #4
  •  Track Listings (16) - Disc #5
  •  Track Listings (8) - Disc #6
  •  Track Listings (8) - Disc #7
  •  Track Listings (7) - Disc #8

Charles Munch's rousing yet elegant way with Berlioz was amply documented by RCA Victor in the fifties and sixties. Much of this material has turned up on CD before, yet the greater presence and definition of BMG's 20-bit ...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Munch, Berlioz
Title: Conducts Berlioz
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: RCA
Release Date: 11/12/1996
Genres: Pop, Classical
Styles: Vocal Pop, Opera & Classical Vocal, Forms & Genres, Concertos, Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music, Historical Periods, Early Music, Instruments, Strings, Symphonies
Number of Discs: 8
SwapaCD Credits: 8
UPC: 090266844425

Synopsis

Amazon.com
Charles Munch's rousing yet elegant way with Berlioz was amply documented by RCA Victor in the fifties and sixties. Much of this material has turned up on CD before, yet the greater presence and definition of BMG's 20-bit transfers tip the scales in favor of this eight-disc compilation. The slight tape dropouts marring an earlier reissue of the 1954 stereo Fantastique, for instance, are remedied, though I still prefer Munch's more disciplined, character-filled 1962 remake (BMG 09026-61721-2). And why the mono Roméo et Juliette again, while the 1961 stereo version still awaits CD transfer? No complaints, though, about the magnificent 1953 Damnation, the delicate and tender L'Enfance du Christ, and Victoria de Los Angeles' gossamer Nuits D'été. And tenor soloist Léopold Simoneau's gorgeous Sanctus is worth the price of the 1959 Requiem. The various overtures filling out the set, as well as Harold en Italie, are superficially exciting, but lack the finesse and proportion Colin Davis brings to this repertoire. Excellent annotations. --Dan Davis
 

CD Reviews

Great Performances From the Past
06/23/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)

"I had been waiting for this 1959 recording of the Berlioz Requiem to be remastered and released on CD. No release since can compare with this one! Unfortunately, this work was not released on its' own, but was included with several other works by Berlioz as recorded by Munch and the BSO over a period of years. The sound is therefore a bit dated, however with this newly remastered release, I was able to hear things that I couldn't hear i the original releases. All in all, a very excellent selection- well worthwhile for those who appreciate the older BSO."
A Must-Have Set
Corlyss M. Drinkard | Nibley, Ut. | 02/25/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Other conductors do this repertoire, of course, but this set contains recordings of one master by another, who was born to conduct this music. Munch is the iconic Berlioz conductor just as Gieseking was the iconic Debussy interpreter. No fan of Berlioz or Munch should be without these masterful recordings. It was inspired of RCA to combine them all in one box for a reasonable price."