thank you dinko, these are really interesting comments.
first, re. the OSM comparison, i can well believe the "live" comparisons are as you say - there are many, many examples on the OMGM disc we're discussing of extremely sensitive playing and response to nézet-séguin's direction. they are clearly a very fine body of musicians.
i think i used the OSM comparison partly because it's another canadian orchestra with the word "montréal" in it! - not so much with SERIOUS artistic comparisons in view. even in their fabled decca recordings i don't actually find the OSM all that impressive an orchestra, certainly not in terms of conveying the EMOTION of a piece of music. in that area i find their recordings slightly cool, though TECHNICALLY they sound slicker on record than the OMGM.
but i totally agree with you - what's the point in that if the performance doesn't actually MOVE you in some way or other? i'm guessing also that the extended problems with dutoit and the strike they had have not at all helped OSM morale and performance.
going back to the saint-saëns recording, your comments on nézet-séguin's broadcast with a different orchestra are revealing, and confirm that the OMGM are pretty much doing exactly as requested.
i actually LIKE the care N-S takes over detailing string figurations in the opening movement, but it does seem to come SOMEWHAT at the expense of forward flow and momentum (i.e. i'd like it just a BIT quicker).
and i still feel that the orchestra doesn't have QUITE the heft and bite required at key moments, regardless of what N-S is doing.
BUT these are to a large extent nit-picking issues, and the broader point remains - this is an extremely fine and idiomatic interpretation of the symphony, one that i would recommend heartily for anybody's collection.
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