lV. The Festival At Baghdad/The Sea/Shipwreck On A Rock Surmounted By A Bronze Warrior/Conclusion
l. Alborada
ll. Variazioni
lll. Alborada
lV. Scena E Canto Gitano
V. Fandango Asturiano
Charles Mackerras is an unassuming guy who just makes great music. He's never made a bad record, and his enthusiasms range from Handel to Janácek to Sullivan (he's one of the world's leading authorities on all three... more »). Because he's had no long-term relationship with any specific label, his career hasn't been pushed the way, say, Herbert von Karajan's was, but that doesn't make his recordings any less good. In fact, as this brilliant and exciting performance of two Rimsky-Korsakov classics shows, Mackerras is as completely at home in these lush, Romantic orchestral soundscapes as he is in his chosen fields of expertise. Add Telarc's knockout sound to the equation, and what more could you ask for? --David Hurwitz« less
Charles Mackerras is an unassuming guy who just makes great music. He's never made a bad record, and his enthusiasms range from Handel to Janácek to Sullivan (he's one of the world's leading authorities on all three). Because he's had no long-term relationship with any specific label, his career hasn't been pushed the way, say, Herbert von Karajan's was, but that doesn't make his recordings any less good. In fact, as this brilliant and exciting performance of two Rimsky-Korsakov classics shows, Mackerras is as completely at home in these lush, Romantic orchestral soundscapes as he is in his chosen fields of expertise. Add Telarc's knockout sound to the equation, and what more could you ask for? --David Hurwitz
"There is no need to add too much to the glowing praises already humped onto this recording. This disc stands as a testament to the greatness of the LSO's virtuosity, its great violin soloist (Hulmanns) and the skilful, seductive conducting of Mackerras. If you are a fan of Scheherazade this CD is mandatory in your collection, regardless if it becomes your No.1 favourite or not.The only quibble that could be raised is the overly w-i-d-e dynamic range of the recording. This CD is one of Telarc's audio engineering spectaculars, but listening to it at lowered volume levels late at night is a problem due to the immense -dB range, especially in the third movement. At lower volume levels, Hulmann's delicate playing is barely discernible. This rules it out as a Scheherazade for considerate late-night listening."
Exquisite Scheherazade!
D. Seymour | Atlanta, GA USA | 05/02/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I confess, Sheherazade is my all-time favorite piece of music, bar none. You only need two four-letter words to describe this recording: FULL and LUSH. This recording is romantic to the hilt. Mackerras carresses every last drop of ecstasy out of the London Symphony Orchestra. His Sheherazade is breathtakingly hypnotic, not unlike the lady herself. It is like a fine opiate. (By the way, Mackerras approaches this piece with a technique similar to the great Sir Adrian Boult.) The soundscape provided by Telarc will absolutely blow you away! It is like an opening into another dimension. The only reason I give this 4 instead of 5 stars is the inclusion of the Cappriccio Espagnol. While it is a nice piece in its own right, it completely burns away the intangible, drug-induced haze that is woven so carefully for you by Sheherazade. By it for Mackerras' Scheherazade alone. This version kicks butt and takes names!"
Brilliant, Powerfull, Amazing
Rafael Rodriguez | Costa Rica | 12/30/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The performance is one in a million. Both works are played brilliantly. Scheherazade's beginning is powerfull, the first part of the second movement y lovely, soft, the rest is just great. The third movement is absolutely romantic and the fourth is breathtaking. The capriccio, one of my favorite works in the entire world of classical music is performed just as a miracle, in fact, the best performance I've heard (listen to the harp. Mackerras was great in this recording, as always in his recordings. Besides, the sound of the recording is absolutely clean and that counts too. Don't leave this recording out of your collection."
Definitive Performances of Rimsky-Korsakov's Greatest Music
John Kwok | New York, NY USA | 08/27/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Sir Charles Mackerras is not as well known as some of his contemporaries, yet he is undoubtedly one of our finest conductors of symphonic and operatic music. He feels at home conducting a small ensemble such as New York City's Orchestra of Saint Luke's (He recently relinquished his musical directorship of this ensemble) or the great London Symphony Orchestra. With regards to music his conducting of Rimsky-Korsakov is as splendid as his conducting of Mozart or Haydn. Here he leads the London Symphony Orchestra in two of the finest performances I have heard of Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade and Capriccio Espagnol. Certainly both rank as definitive performances and are labelled as such in the Grammophone and Penguin CD guides. Telarc's sound quality is exceptional as always. If you have not yet heard a Mackerras' recording, this fine CD is a worthy introduction."
The Sound, my gosh the sound!
Trevor Gillespie | San Jose, California United States | 04/12/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Being a big fan of this piece, I have collected a number of recordings. As far as pure sound goes, this recording has yet to be surpassed in my estimation. The detail of the orchestral colors are caught magnificently by Telarc (digitally). A favorite highlight of mine in this performance is the violin solos. The soloist is incredible. Some of the notes the Rimsky-Korsakov wrote in Scheherazade are extremely difficult even for the most accomplished concertmasters. However, here you'll find that the soloist not only gets the notes right on pitch, but with some of the most beautiful soft and rich tones that I've heard on record. Mackerras leads an incredibly charged performance. I think one of Mackerras' favorite instruments must be the trombone, because in the many recordings I have him conducting in, the trombone parts seem to be emphasized. There's no exception in this recording of Scheherezade, and the effect is dazzling. Along with that, the sonics of bass drums banging and cymbals crashing, you'll hear glories of recorded sound that you just can't hear in classic recordings such as Karajan's, Reiner's, etc. Certainly, this recording is a classic in and of itself. As a lover of Scheherezade, I whole-heartedly recommend this recording as a great performance, a great recording, and a classic example of the orchestral colors that Rimsky-Korsakov became famous for."