Search - Shostakovich, Stravinski, Maazel :: Symphony 5 / Rite of Spring

Robert K. (Gandalf) from DANVILLE, PA
Reviewed on 8/23/2006...

Great Interpretation of the new Russian masters

An indifferent Shostakovich Fifth paired with a sonically ou

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 04/21/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I don't know the details, but Maazel's tenure in Cleveland was artistically dispiriting -- to be fair, no one could have followed George Szell without unfavorable comparison. Few truly outstanding recordings emerged, but this Le Sacre from 1980 comes close. As an interpretation, it stays confidently in the middle of the road, but Telarc's two-microphone recording technique, folowed by no processing of the sound either by cimpression or equalizaiton, gives us a true picture of exactly what the microphones heard.



True fidelity means that the brass section isn't always as powerful as in modern multi-mike recordings, and the strings are swamped in loud tuttis, yet the timbre, acoustic, and balance are realistic. Needless to say, the Clevelanders also perform with technical virtuosity few orchestras can match.



The Shostakovich, unfortunately, is more like what one came to expecct from Maazel, an uninvolved, superficial reading whose purpose can only be to convey his indifference. There isn't the slightest tenion in the first movement, satire in the second, or tragic elegy in the third. Only an energetic finale somewhat redeems this recording, albeit the sonics are once again sterling. Since this CD costs so little on the used market, you can buy it with confidence that your audio system will get a workout. Otherwise, there are many Le Sacres and Rites of Spring that offer more musical rewards.



P.S. _ I see that there is now a hybrid SACD of the Stravinsky, which is probably even better sonically."