| Site review by Polly Nomial December 23, 2006
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Performance: Sonics (MC): |
Recommended with reservations, for which see below.
There are two principle compositions on this disc: Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf & Saint-Saëns' Carnival of the Animals. These are cleverly linked by Jens Josef's "Kostümbastelstück" which transforms elements of the Prokofiev into elements of the Saint-Saëns.
In Peter and the Wolf, the music itself is very well done with a real sense of humour and vivid characterisation from all instrumentalists - the Polish Chamber Orchestra is a really fine collection of musicians who enjoy letting their hair down without a trace of self-conciousness under Wojciech Rajski.
Similarly, the Saint-Saëns is performed well although without quite the same sense of élan that Argerich and friends brought to the score (RBCD only). This is performed with narration - not something that is in the score and this brings me on to the main reservation that I have with this disc: the narration and the text employed. The chamber score is used here to great effect with marvellous contributions from:
Ladies Swing Quartet (a string quartet in case you were wondering - I was!), Claus Kannigeßer (cello), Sepp Wiest (double bass), Jens Josef (flute), Kerstin Grötsch (clarinet), Andreas Hepp (percussion), Cristoph Ullrich (piano 1), Jacqueline Allers-Ullrich (piano 2)
The narration for the Saint-Saëns is clearly especially written for the music and is very successful (especially for children, both young and young-at-heart) as it clearly illustrates & introduces the different animals, with Peter being shown the different animals by his Grandfather, as well is highlighting the musical ideas that Saint-Saëns transfigured into various animals; the break between Pianists & Fossils required for the text is one of the less welcome consequences though. Less recommendable is the text for Peter and the Wolf which is "retold by the owl" - and while I am not wishing to be a stick-in-the-mud, I am minded to believe that "if something ain't broke, don't fix it". Heard once it is different, many times it becomes annoying. Sad really, because this is my major problem with the disc - the narrator himself (Bradley Cole) is unaffected in delivery and relates the tale well.
The other issue which I find problematic is the sound. Whilst the instruments are recorded with great fidelity, the transforming (by electronic manipulation) into Moving Real Surround Sound causes the momentary break-up of some timbres which is disturbing. The idea in itself is wonderful (especially the Swan which "swims" in a lazy circle around the listener in MCH) but needs to be better executed if it is to be successful. As this is a début, I have no doubt that improvements will follow. Sometimes, the instruments dart from speaker-to-speaker which my wife finds distracting but I rather enjoy in this repertoire especially when dealing with a creature that can flit about (such as a bird). The general placing is all-round (as is common with many Tacet recordings) in MCH but needn't worry stereo-only listeners.
I know this stepping well outside the boundaries for which www.sa-cd.net is here but I would advocate the purchase of the DVD-A release above this because one has the option of hearing the music by itself, allowing one to narrate for younger listeners for oneself (try http://library.thinkquest.org/17321/data/esmusic.html for the text split into sections as intended by Prokofiev).
(The ratings are for the music only.)
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Copyright © 2006 John Broggio and SA-CD.net
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| Review by Antonio January 11, 2007 (4 of 6 found this review helpful)
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Performance: Sonics (S): |
I fully agree with the Previous reviewer.
Let me add my 2 cents on the SACD.
The instruments are for sure recorded with great fidelity. The sound is great, but the stereo mix is a missing some harmony and orchestral timber.
I know the main pupose for Tacet and thus also this recording is to leverage a good Multichannel Mix, but I still prefer music over 2 channel, you can call me old fashion but hey I love music not sounds effects ;-)
Anyhow I still recommend this SACD it is a High Fidelity (clear, detailed, instruments are perfectly rendered) recording and the Performance is very vivid, specially with Peter.
If you like Camille "Carnival of the Animals" you will like this one.
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| Review by Arnaldo May 18, 2009 (3 of 3 found this review helpful)
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Performance: Sonics (S): |
Once again Tacet has managed to brilliantly capture the musicians of the Polish Camber Orchestra, led by Wojciech Rajsk, in a splendid performance. The timbre of the instruments is viscerally realistic.
That's exactly why this release is so frustrating. In order to hear these incredible musicians at work, one has to endure the overly affected narration that permeates the performance. On top of that, Prokofiev's original text in Peter and the Wolf was forsaken for a new and extended one as told by an owl, while Saint-Saëns's Carnival of the Animals got a totally new narration where originally there was none. These changes dilute the music, robbing the works of their natural continuity.
This is undoubtedly a subjective assessment, since the overall length of this Peter and the Wolf at 31:32 is just a few minutes longer than Andre Previn on a Telarc Red Book CD at 27.22. Nevertheless, it does feel like an eternity when one is so eager to hear more of the music, although kids might actually enjoy the experience, and they are after all, the target audience.
As for all the controversy generated by Tacet's Moving Surround Sound, it does not sound bothersome at all in the stereo layer. Despite some unorthodox shifts in the placement of the instruments, it is done rather creatively and fits the playful mood of this specific repertoire.
But the narration takes center stage most of the time and it left me wishing for Peter and the hunters to leave the wolf alone and instead hunt down the poor fellow doing the honors. Still, with a little help from the fast forward button, the narration becomes just a bleep and the magic of the Tacet sound is still a pleasure to behold.
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