Search - Samuel Barber, Percy Grainger, Ralph Vaughan Williams :: Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis; Barber: Adagio for Strings; Grainger: Irish Tune from County

Beautiful

Gregory M. Zinkl | Chicago, IL | 07/19/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"St. Louis Symphony, as built by Slatkin (and his predecessors, too!), is a gorgeous instrument, no matter how you look at it. It has a tone all of it's own; and no, it isn't Vienna or Berlin or Stoki/Ormandy's Philly. But what this orchestra manages to do is play with Szell-like precision with lush, silky strings and beautiful brass and woodwinds. There are some outstanding soloists in the woodwinds and brass: Silfies on clarinet and Slaughter on trumpet come immediately to mind. And the orchestra seems to have always been blessed by world-class concertmasters.But you're probably reading this to learn about the music. Slatkin has had at least two recorded outings on the Vaughn-Williams (the other with the equally beautiful Philharmonia); this is the one to have. The players sound committed, the conducting lets the music breathe and it has a soul. Slatkin's Philharmonia try was a beautiful, emotionless jewel--served under glass. The only recording I know to top this one is Ormandy's breathtaking outing on Sony.This is one of three recorded performances of Barber's great Adagio. This one is beautifully played...but it's too fast for me; his EMI Barber disc is the one to have.The Pavane perhaps lacks a little bit in the overt drama that can sometimes be found in this work; but this interpretation of quiet, beautifuly lushness will do just fine.The Grainger and the Satie are quiet, beautiful lollipops played to perfection. There isn't really a lot of room for interpretation, and Slatkin presents the music thankfully at face value.The engineering is very good, catching the beauty of the strings and plenty of the Powell Symphony Hall ambience. A quick look at recording dates makes you wonder if the orchestra recorded these pieces mostly for fun: they were recording Mahler during the same period!My only complaint about this disc is that it's too short!"

Excellent

Majid Entezam | San Diego, CA United States | 07/31/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD contains very well played pieces by several well known composers. However, the main reason I got this CD was for Vaughn Williams "Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis". Mr Slatkin's interpretation is by far my favorite of this masterpiece composition. It is well controlled and the climactic point of this piece is given room/time to breath and express itself. Very nicely done."

A personal must-have

Eironic | 08/31/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"While I agree with the comments made by Maxwell Johnson regarding the Satie and Barber performances on this CD, I cannot do without this version of Vaughan Williams's Fantasia. It is by far the finest, most thoughtful and most moving rendition I've heard. Sure, the recording quality could be better. However, I have three other better quality recordings of this piece, and the performances are all unlistenable after having my discovery this particular one. I suspect to someone who is more accustomed to hearing a conductor rush through this piece, usually out of fear it'll come across ponderous and tedious, this performance may sound sluggish. But this rendition is truly more fitting for Vaughan Wiilliams, who can be a bit more indulgent for more impatient listeners, and also for Thomas Tallis, whose brilliant theme deserves to be relished thoroughly, istead of merely glanced at in passing on a hurried way to the end.



The other thing is I find the woodwind performance on the Faure to be excellant, and seeing this piece is usually recorded as the choral version, thus the voices obscure Faure's gorgeous woodwind orchestration, this is a rare delight.



I am happy this CD is still available, despite it's drawbacks. While I doubt I'll ever like the Satie pieces on this (they are rather lifeless), I can enjoy the Barber despite the performance's flaws (it's an overrated piece anyhow). Regardless, I just consider those extra tracks to the Vaughan Williams and Faure, which make this CD worth my money."