Everyone should have this recording of the Sinfonietta!
Gregory M. Zinkl | Chicago, IL | 03/30/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I am only commenting on the Sinfonietta. Mackerras is unexcelled in one of my ultimate pieces. The Vienna Phil would seem intuitively all wrong for this music, but Mackerras transforms the glowing tone of this great orchestra such that it totally serves the music. V, the mov't that makes or breaks a performance in my opinion, is overwhelming--as it should be. The wind soloists, notably the clarinetist and an amazing piccolo player, are exceptional. The strings, of course, have a wonderful tone, and a clarity that Janacek's music screams for (especially all the trills that they are call upon to do). The trumpets (a dozen), are well-behaved, and the timpani, again, incredibly important to this music, is well recorded--and played with lots of excitement. The final impact is not one of only excitement and a huge adrenalin rush, but of something deeper, a sense of gratification that Janacek wrote such a masterpiece, and that Mackerras recorded it for us. The other four movements are in this same vein of gratifying, white-hot intensity and beauty. Recommended at any price as one of the truly great recordings of the century!!!"
An excellent introduction to Janacek's music
koream | Potomac, MD USA | 01/08/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"The first disk of this work is an excellent introduction to Janacek's music. Although it might seem odd that a British conductor leading the Vienna Phil would be the prime exponent of this body of work, Mackerras' recording of the Sinfonietta is probably the best on disk today, though Rattle's is also good. I have to admit a personal preference to the Kubelik DG recording, but, to my knowledge, it is only available on vinyl. The performance (and recording!) of Taras Bulba is excellent, as well.My own preference would have been for a single disk recording. The Sinfonietta, Taras Bulba, and the Lachian Dances are probably sufficient, and the typical listener is not well-served by the additional disk (and additional cost!)."