MOUSSORGSKY: Pictures at an Exhibition, Night on Bald Mountain
Cleveland Orchestra, Lorin Maazel, cond.
Telarc 80042 (LP). Recorded at Masonic Auditorium, Cleveland, OH. Edited at Soundstream, Inc. Mastered at JVC Cutting Center. Robert Woods, prod.; Jack Renner, eng.; Stan Ricker, mastering eng. DAA. This is unquestionably the best recording Telarc has done to date. It is almost impossible to fault. If I were to pick nits, I would complain about a slight lack of air in the strings. The rest is, simply, superlatives! The performances aren't quite that good, unfortunately. While the performances of both works are the best Telarc has gotten yet, Sir Thomas Beecham did a better job with both, but not all that much better, and Beecham's sound was mediocre by today's standards. The featured work, Pictures, is carried off well but without flair. The problem is one of phrasing, not tempos or dynamics. It is most evident in the "Hut on Fowl's Legs," where the rendition lacks incisiveness and bite. Perhaps the cavernous reverb contributes here to the effect of legato when the effect ought to be staccato, but the result is a performance that is less compelling than it ought to be.
It is the flip side that makes the record worth the buying price. Leopold Stokowsky used to do such a hackle-raising rendition of this that all subsequent recordings have sounded tame to the point of ennui. Maazel's is the only alternative recording I have heard that could hold a candle to the old Stokowskis.
With a "purist" mike setup, Telarc has been backing off their mikes with each recording. The Moussorgsky recording was right on. This one, I'm sorry to say, is bit too distant. The overall sound on this is a bit heavy, which means that on a system that gives good balance at high listening levels, this recording will have to be played at a lower level to sound right. (Actually, it sounds more realistic that way because of the Row-M perspective.)
The sound of this LP is absolutely awesome. Buy the record for this, and to Hell with the Pictures. This N on B M may never bettered within our lifetime. I'm willing to bet, though, that if you buy this you won't feel the need to buy another version for many, many years.—J. Gordon Holt
Cleveland Orchestra, Lorin Maazel, cond.
Telarc 80042 (LP). Recorded at Masonic Auditorium, Cleveland, OH. Edited at Soundstream, Inc. Mastered at JVC Cutting Center. Robert Woods, prod.; Jack Renner, eng.; Stan Ricker, mastering eng. DAA. This is unquestionably the best recording Telarc has done to date. It is almost impossible to fault. If I were to pick nits, I would complain about a slight lack of air in the strings. The rest is, simply, superlatives! The performances aren't quite that good, unfortunately. While the performances of both works are the best Telarc has gotten yet, Sir Thomas Beecham did a better job with both, but not all that much better, and Beecham's sound was mediocre by today's standards. The featured work, Pictures, is carried off well but without flair. The problem is one of phrasing, not tempos or dynamics. It is most evident in the "Hut on Fowl's Legs," where the rendition lacks incisiveness and bite. Perhaps the cavernous reverb contributes here to the effect of legato when the effect ought to be staccato, but the result is a performance that is less compelling than it ought to be.
