Search - Johann II [Junior] Strauss, Johann II and Josef Strauss, Eugene Ormandy :: Johann Strauss: Waltzes and Polkas

Ormandy Suited to Strauss

Michael B. Richman | Portland, Maine USA | 05/18/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Stravinsky once said, in one of his "Prince Igor" moments, that Eugene Ormandy was a perfectly good conductor of Johann Strauss. Well his insult was half-right -- Ormandy is a good conductor of Strauss' Waltzes, he just also happens to be a great conductor of everything from Bach to Wagner. I personally feel that almost all of the material Ormandy committed to disc with the Philadelphians during his association with CBS/Columbia/Sony is worth owning, and this CD of Strauss Waltzes is no exception. While I'm not a huge waltz fan (I don't own one of those big Boskovsky Boxed Sets -- not yet anyway), I do have J. Strauss CDs by Bernstein, Dorati, Kleiber, Reiner and Walter, and the Ormandy is just as vibrant and joyous as any of the previously mentioned collections. I guess the one thing that does separate the Ormandy from the others is that it is the only one available at budget line. So with this title, you can waltz through the night and still have enough money left for drinks."