Search - Glazunov, Butt, Rpo :: Symphony 6 / Raymonda Suite

A dissapointing performance for great works

CAHANA JOEL | Haifa , Israel | 09/07/2001

(1 out of 5 stars)

"This CD has been chosen by several critics in the UK like
the Penguin Guide as the best performance of Symphony 6 and
Raimonda Suite, some of the finest works of Glazunov that brought
him fame and world recognition.
Alas after listening carefully to the CD, I have found nothing
that will deserve this high esteem.
Yondani Butt has the reputation of innnovative style as a
conductor of many unknown and forgotten ouevres and with great success as in Goldmark's Rustic Wesdding Symphony andeven Glazunov Symphony 4&5 , but unfortunately in this CD his
innovation and desire for quick and disharmonic tempo turns
symphony 6 into a chaos of wondering chords lacking the charm
of Glazunov Symophonies which make them so special and sweet.
Raimonda Suite too is played in a mediocre style without any enthusiasm and verve which is the hallmark of this Ballet.
The sound, especially in Symphony 6 is terrible with a soaring and annoying cling in the Background.
A real dissapointment! for Raimonda turn to Chandos wonderfull
relesae conducted by Jarvi and for Symphony 6 turn to either
Naxos conducted by Anissimov ( Rock Bottom price and good performance) or Orfeo's release conducted by Jarvi (More expensive
but wonderfull perfomance and sound)."

Deserves a better review

William J. Coburn | Basking Ridge, NJ USA | 04/15/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Yondani Butt's performance of Glazunov's sixth symphony sparkles with his enthusiasm for the score. This is one of the composer's most coherent works, and this conductor brings out what is best in this music. The recording also includes a good selection of much of the best of the ballet Raymonda and a thrilling performance of the Triumphal March; this is the work that is based upon the American song "John Brown's Body." It's definitely a fun piece.

Not all of Glazunov's symphonies are this good. The other three which are successful are four, five and seven. A disc from Orfeo contains fine renditions of Numbers 4 and 7; the conductor is Neeme Jarvi. The best recording of No. 5 is by Jose Serebrier; it is on the Warner label and includes one of the best versions of the ballet The Seasons. There is a wonderful recording on the Chandos label of four of the composer's best works which are not symphonies. The conductor is Neeme Jarvi, and that disc includes Stenka Razin, The Sea, Spring, and the Middle Ages Suite. Unfortunately it is temporarily out of print, but Chandos usually re-releases older recordings on one of its budget labels. Writing to Chandos might prompt the company to release it sooner.

I am writing this review in reaction to a barely literate critique of Butt's recording of the sixth. It is good that Amazon welcomes comments on what it sells, but sometimes the reviews submitted are merely unwarranted diatribes."