A pleasant, uneventful run-through
Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 11/29/2005
(3 out of 5 stars)
"As anyone knows who has followed his career, the once energetic and incisive Colin Davis turned sober and dull some time in the Eighties. Since then he's shown sporadic moments of revival, particularly in Berlioz, but this LSO Live performance of the Dvorak Sixth isn't one of them.
I think the one-star reviewer below has everything right. Davis wasn't having a good day; everything sounds professional but blandly routine, with sluggish tempos in the first movement and furiant. He's also right about the sound, which is veyr close on the woodwinds but leaves the strings sounding distant and thin. It's also stingy not to include a filler. A regretful pass."
Nice Performance, sound has huge dynamic range
Bruce Zeisel | Albany, NY United States | 11/02/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I enjoyed this performance as such. Four stars refer to the extraordinary dynamic range on the stereo SACD layer. Nevertheless I was a little put off by the sound which I attribute to the location and the fact that (presumably) it was live. I've never been to the Barbican, but I've heard that it is hard to record in. Apparently it is necessary to mic very closely. I listened to this disc on a Sony SACD/DVD player with a middling amplifier and pretty nice but not exceptional speakers. I listened to it as an SACD in stereo. (My multi-channel system has much better speakers and amplification, but is down temporarily while I build an in-the-wall equipment cabinet.)
My only complaint with this Dvorak is that some string passages border on strident. I most certainly did not find the sound "muddy" or "congested". The dynamic range is thrilling. It is exemplary!
Janos Gardonyi concluded his review with: "I fail to understand why they fool around with the sound these days, this so called Hybrid SACD is just awful. The regular digital DDD or ADD sound is much better."
Folks should know that a "Hybrid SACD" is a very special disc and the reason for buying one is because you own or anticipate purchase of an SACD player in the future. The Hybrid part refers to being able to play the disc on a regular CD player. You are not listening to an SACD in that case - you are listening to a regular CD - these discs have 2 layers.
SACDs usually are not only far better at providing the natural instrumental timbres, they also are far less likely to sound muddy or congested in complex passages. The LSO Live series is somehwat anomalous in my experience. They have great dynamic range, they do not sound muddy but on many, the treble is troubling. But I will reiterate: You CANNOT possibly evaluate an SACD as such by listening to it's redbook CD layer. This Dvorak disc is great heard as an SACD, except for that strangely ascerbic treble.
I look forward to hearing this in multi-channel sound. BTW When multi-channel recordings are done correctly, you aren't aware of the rear speakers till you revert to stereo; then you feel a sense of deprivation because the multi-channel experience had transported you into the concert hall and suddenly going back to stereo it all collapses!"
An off day for Sir Colin. Bad sound.
Janos Gardonyi | Toronto, Ontario Canada | 04/15/2005
(1 out of 5 stars)
"Although Colin Davis is one of my favorite conductors, I am thoroughly disappointed with this disc.It may have caught Sir Colin on an off day. Although it is a thoroughly professional
performance, it lacks the last ounce of inspiration, poetry and a
true Slavic spirit. I cannot even begin to compare it with the incandescent Kertesz' reading which brings out all the beauties of this lovely score.
Davis is also hampered by a badly engineered recorded sound that's muddy, lacking detail and hard on the ear.I fail to understand why they fool around with the sound these days, this so called Hybrid SACD is just awful. The regular digital DDD or ADD sound is much better.
Go for the Kertesz or the Dohnanyi."
Track Listings (4) - Disc #1