COMPOSERS: Walton
LABELS: EMI
WORKS: Belshazzar’s Feast; Britten Improvisations; Portsmouth Point; Scapino
PERFORMER: Shirley-Quirk/LSO/André Previn
CATALOGUE NO: CDM 7 64723 2 ADD
Previn’s Belshazzar has not worn well. The playing is full of life, but it’s very approximate. The chorus (when audible) sounds rough and not quite ready, and too many of the jazzy rhythmic and harmonic inflections fail to hit their mark. There’s little presence to the sound, which is unpleasantly dry. The fillers fare better, but I’m afraid this disc, like Belshazzar himself, is beyond redemption. Stephen Maddock
Walton: Belshazzar's Feast; Britten Improvisations; Portsmouth Point; Scapino
Previn’s Belshazzar has not worn well. The playing is full of life, but it’s very approximate. The chorus (when audible) sounds rough and not quite ready, and too many of the jazzy rhythmic and harmonic inflections fail to hit their mark. There’s little presence to the sound, which is unpleasantly dry. The fillers fare better, but I’m afraid this disc, like Belshazzar himself, is beyond redemption. Stephen Maddock
Our rating
2
Published: January 20, 2012 at 2:35 pm