Search - Leos Janacek, Ross Pople, London Festival Orchestra :: Janácek: Idyll; Mládí; Suite for String Orchestra

An (over)polished Janacek.

Xyp | Cincinnati, OH | 11/04/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This disc is nice, especially for the price, as the performances are totally passable in both performance and recording quality. However, there is a distinct lack of any feeling for the bohemian nature of Janacek's music as would be found by Mackerras, Ancerl, and others. It is possible for orchestras outside of eastern europe to grasp the fundamental excitement and color (even at cost of exacting performance, at times)- Mackerras has done it over and over in this repertiore, and the Kertesz / LSO cycle of Dvorak symphonies remains unsurpassed in that respect. Here, the LFO is reading and playing the music admirably, but perhaps not with the degree of insight or understanding that would make this a stellar disc.



In short, this disc is mainly good for its low price and repertoire not found many other places, and for that reason is recommended mainly to Janacek completists."