Search - Georges Bizet, Igor Markevitch, Orchestre Des Concerts Lamoureux :: Bizet: Carmen & L'Arlesienne Suites

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Michael B. Richman | Portland, Maine USA | 11/21/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Thank you Amazon for carrying such a large selection of titles from the Australian "Eloquence" series! While the majority of the performances in this mid-price import line are available stateside (but as different titles or with different packaging), some are not and needless to say I am snapping many of those CDs up quickly. This delightful disc features Bizet's Suites from "Carmen" and "L'Arlesienne" as performed by the great Igor Markevitch and the Orchestre des Concerts Lamoureux. This music was first released in 1960 and has been previously available on CD domestically, though those titles are now out of print. While I own and enjoy accounts of the Suites by Bernstein, Cluytens, Karajan and Ormandy among others, it is the Markevitch that is in elite company. His collaborations with Lamoureux in the French repertoire are unsurpassed, and these performances, along with those by Ansermet and Paray, are the truly first-rate Bizet recordings. Yet I withhold a fifth star and the reason is cost. You see, I don't actually own this CD, but instead its most recent predecessor, released under license by the Canadian company Belart, which I purchased at a fraction of what this title is currently selling for. But regardless of price, you certainly won't be disappointed with this Amazon delivery from Australia with love."