Search - Donald Maxwell, Carl Orff, David Hill :: Orff: Carmina Burana

Stupendous

David Saemann | 03/26/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Carmina Burana is generally considered the province of super virtuoso conductors, such as Muti, Ozawa, and Previn. David Hill, however, is a superb choral conductor, and he here appears as no slouch in leading an orchestra, either. This is as good a Carmina Burana as I ever have heard. Tempos are solidly propulsive without being rushed, although the famous Tanz sounds a little fast. The choral work is absolutely outstanding, warm but with no shortage of impact. A notable feature of this recording is the use of a countertenor, the estimable James Bowman, in place of a tenor. It doesn't seem to matter either way. The standout among the soloists is bass Donald Maxwell, who sings with beautiful tone and strong characterization. The Bournemouth Symphony, on this outing, sounds like a world class orchestra. It would be interesting to compare this recording with the orchestra's more recent version, conducted by Marin Alsop. That said, the 1994 sound engineering on this disc is sublimely full and well balanced, with a sizable dynamic range. Don't be deterred by the budget price; this CD will knock your socks off."