Search - Manuel de Falla, Eugene Ormandy, Leopold Stokowski :: El Amor Brujo/ 3 Cornered Hat/ Nights in the Gardens of Spain

Stephen T. from ASHLAND, OR
Reviewed on 12/11/2009...

Recorded performances of this music just doesn't get any better than the Stokowski portion of this recording, and the Ormandy is excellent too. Only Boulez provides a comparable interpretation.

An Outstanding Version of the Best Works of Manuel De Falla!

Mary Campbell | Burbank, CA USA | 11/13/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"11/12/2000I was born and raised in Spain. I grew up with the wonderful music of Manuel De Falla as a background. Consequently, I have heard countless versions of the best works of Manuel De Falla. When I heard about this American version of two of the best compositions of Manuel De Falla played by the Philadelphia Orchestra and conducted by Ormandy and Stokowski I was curious. I thought that I knew every note in the score of these masterpieces, and it was my believe that it could not be much different from other versions that I had heard before. When I bought the CD and listened to it for the first time, I realised how mistaken I was. I was moved to tears. Somehow, Ormandy and Stokowski have returned back to life these wonderful masterpieces. Eugene Ormandy is superb conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra in "El Amor Brujo" (Bewitched Love), the story of a gipsy girl resorting to witchcratf as a way to forget her lover. Nevertheless, the best of the CD is the unbelivableversion of Leopold Stokowski conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra of the masterpiece "Noches en los Jardines de Espana" (Nights in the gardens of Spain), a piano concert that evokes the nocturnal sounds around gardens, including the water of fountains. Shirley Verrett is an outstanding piano player. I strongly recommend this CD to everybody who likes Spanish music and in particular Manuel De Falla. The fans of Eugene Ormandy and Leopold Stokowski will also be happy with this CD. The price of this CD in Amazon.com is a steal! Go for it!"

Get it for the outstanding Entremont performance of Nights i

goodmusicman | USA | 12/25/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD features Manuel de Falla's three most popular orchestral works: the El Amor Brujo suite, Nights in the Gardens of Spain, and dances from The Three-Cornered Hat. They all feature the incomparable Philadelphia Orchestra; Brujo is conducted by Leopold Stokowski, while Nights and Hat are conducted by Eugene Ormandy. All three performances are outstanding, although I find Stokowski's tempos to be a bit too idiosyncratic at times. It is still a very colorful and enjoyable performance with a particularly rousing and satisfying finale. Ormandy's three dances from Hat are done very well--exciting and colorful. The sound quality throughout the CD is quite good, although not up to par with modern digital standards.



The real reason to get this CD is the phenomenal performance of Nights by pianist Philippe Entremont. He and Ormandy capture the ebb and flow of this work--so difficult to properly bring off--like few others. This performance is in the same league as Alicia de Larrocha's classic recordings and probably better than Martha Argerich's celebrated performance. Entremont knows just when to give the music forward propulsion and when to let it carry itself. Both the lyrical and atmospheric elements as well as the exciting, ultra-Spanish climaxes are given maximum effect here. Entremont's partership with Ormandy and the PO has brought us many classic recordings (the piano concertos [plus Paganini Rhapsody] by Rachmaninov, Saint Saens, and Grieg) and this is one of the best. If you like this work (Nights), you must own Entremont's performance. (It is also available on a CD with music of Gershwin, Franck, and Faure, but the program is completely unrelated.)



This is the ultimate collection of Falla's major works, including one of the very best "Nights in the Gardens of Spain" ever. It is worth it just for that alone. At budget price, you'd be silly to miss this one."