Search - Sir Thomas Beecham :: Great Recordings Of The Century - Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade; Borodin: Polovtsian Dances / Beecham, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Great performance, not-so-ideal recording technique.

JPH | Crawley | 08/25/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Sir Thomas Beecham's recording was my first Scheherazade CD. In many ways it remains an outstanding performance of Rimsky's beloved masterpiece. There is a pleasing suppleness to the musical phrasing, an irresistible propulsion from start to finish, and much attention to detail. Having had access to the CD section of a music library, I have hear many other Scheherazades and few, in my opinion, manage to even equal Beecham's reading. Mackerras' and Kondrashin's modern versions are its main rivals. Get all three of these if you can, each is indispensable in its own way.With regards to the recording acoustics, there has been an on-going tendency of lovers of Beecham's disc to proclaim its superiority over Mackerras, Kondrashin's or any other modern digital version by citing Beecham's attention to detail. In actuality that has a lot to do with the primitive closely-miked recording techniques employed by 1950s EMI engineers. As a result you get to oooh-and-ahh when you hear the delicious close-up bowing of the cellos and violas in the quieter passages of the first movement. However, when the rest of the orchestra (especially the brass) start joining in, you then realize (horrors!) the congested acoustics of this recording. Be not mistaken, this is a finely-reburbished 1950s recording, but it cannot touch the naturally distanced/proportioned, spacious acoustics of digital discs like Mackerras'. Do not be fooled, like some professional critics have been, that the wealth of close-up instrumental details available in Beecham's CD means that his performance is superior to modern CDs. (This is how we get all of this perpetuated rubbish that ALL vintage 50s CDs can never be surpassed. Hmph.)In summary, this vintage Scheherazade is one not to be without but ideally it should also not be the single version in your music collection. A finely recorded modern version of Scheherazade is also a must."

Extraordinarily charismatic

William Mealiffe | Richmond, CA United States | 09/03/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This review is basically the same as the one I wrote for an earlier CD

reissue of this fine recording. Now that it has been rereleased as a

Great Recording of the Century, it will get the attention it deserves.



Beecham's recording of Scheherazade has not been out of print ever since

it was first released in 1958. It is quite simply the best recording of

Rimsky-Korsakov's finest work. The sound quality of the recording is

excellent for its time, and the engineers for the CD have done a good

job. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra plays fabulously well, and

Beecham brings out all of the mystery, sensuality and barbarism that

used to be associated with the Orient. The notes that come with the

recording describe it best: "extraordinarily charismatic". It is not an

exaggeration. No one does the violin solos better than concertmaster

Steven Staryk, and Jack Brymer's clarinet solos are also brillant.



As a bonus, this CD also has the best recording of Borodin's Polovtsian

Dances I have ever heard. Unlike most recordings of these dances,

excerpted from "Prince Igor", it includes the choral voices just as they

are in the opera (in English, rather than Russian, though).

"

Ablaze with Color

frussianophile | in some arabian wind | 11/02/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Years and years ago I came across Beecham's wonderful recording of Rimsky-Korsakov's most famous piece while listening to NPR. The channel has since gone to talk format, but I still greatly enjoy this classic disc.Scheherazade is given both space and atmosphere by Beecham and the RPO. The first time I heard it was while driving around on an autumn evening--the leaves the color of gold and flame. I cannot help but feel the same colorscape whenever I hear this piece now.This disc is loaded with excellent, colorful, wondrous music. At mid-price, this is a "must-have.""