COMPOSERS: Rachmaninov
LABELS: Classics for Pleasure
WORKS: Symphony No. 3; Symphonic Dances
PERFORMER: Royal Liverpool PO/Charles Mackerras
CATALOGUE NO: CDCFP 4649 DDD (1989)
Routine Rachmaninov from Mackerras and the RLPO, neither of whom seems at ease with these scores. Mackerras is a shade reticent in his handling of the Third Symphony; equally, his account of Rachmaninov’s swan-song, the Symphonic Dances, never really takes flight either. The RLPO strings lack substance throughout; partly a consequence of the natural recording perspectives achieved, ironically enough, in Liverpool’s Philharmonic Hall. Collectors seeking a reliable version of the Third shouldn’t miss de Waart’s complete cycle, now available in the excellent Philips Duo series. Michael Jameson
Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 3; Symphonic Dances
Routine Rachmaninov from Mackerras and the RLPO, neither of whom seems at ease with these scores. Mackerras is a shade reticent in his handling of the Third Symphony; equally, his account of Rachmaninov’s swan-song, the Symphonic Dances, never really takes flight either. The RLPO strings lack substance throughout; partly a consequence of the natural recording perspectives achieved, ironically enough, in Liverpool’s Philharmonic Hall. Collectors seeking a reliable version of the Third shouldn’t miss de Waart’s complete cycle, now available in the excellent Philips Duo series. Michael Jameson
Our rating
3
Published: January 20, 2012 at 2:32 pm