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Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring - Esa-Pekka Salonen        (8 of 12 found this review helpful)
  February 14, 2007

I'm quite disappointed with this release. I'm a big fan of all three featured works, particularly the Bartok and Stravinsky; I own a half-dozen recordings of the full-length "Mandarin" and about forty versions of "Rite." This disc falls very near or at the bottom of both preferred lists. Other ... more
Respighi: Pines of Rome, Fountains of Rome, Debussy: La Mer - Reiner        (10 of 11 found this review helpful)
  September 17, 2006

The release of this disc will obviate the need for audio geeks to scour the used record bins in search of a decent copy of the Respighi works. Before this I'd never encountered a version in any format that lived up to the hype surrounding it all: the LPs always sounded pinched and thin, and the ... more
Virgil Fox Encores        (7 of 7 found this review helpful)
  June 14, 2006

Virgil Fox was one of the quirkiest musicians around: flamboyant, dramatic, and always succeeding in getting under the skin of musical purists, particularly in his interpretations of the organ music of Bach. The selections on this disc are representative of his great personality . This SACD also ... more
Frederick Fennell conducts the music of Leroy Anderson        (5 of 8 found this review helpful)
  February 28, 2006

Frankly, none of the performances of these pops pieces will replace those on other sources I own by Fiedler and the Boston Pops on RCA or Abravanel on Vanguard, which is a bit surprising given Fennell's famous pops touch. Why? They just don't pack much sparkle or oomph when compared to others ... more
Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique - Munch        (8 of 10 found this review helpful)
  February 21, 2006

The performance of this warhorse was not released as a Living Stereo shaded dog in the 1950's but rather in its monoaural version, LM-1900. I purchased the Classic Records release in the mid-'90's on LP and later this SACD. There are better recordings and better interpretations out there. The ... more

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