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Review by Dr. O August 11, 2005 (6 of 6 found this review helpful)
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Performance: Sonics (MC): |
Another spectacular recording from MTT and the SFS!
The tempos are all deliciously convincing, and the clarity is of the highest caliber! Laura Claycomb's soprano voice is well tempered to the heavenly playfullness of the finale. MTT captures the almost Mozart-like directness of this translucent score, And the 3rd movement - Wow! - transcent in it's "other-world" beauty. This performance will leave you mesmerized!
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Review by threerandot March 13, 2008 (5 of 6 found this review helpful)
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Performance: Sonics (MC): |
MIchael Tilson Thomas and The San Francisco Symphony give an unforgettable and what could be for many, a definitive performance of Mahler's Fourth Symphony.
I don't believe I have ever heard a more moving and deeply penetrating performance of this Mahler Symphony before. Thomas is not simply content to read the score. I sense that he has spent a great deal of time probing the depths of this music to get to the "essense" of this symphony.
Deeply felt, committed and profound are words that can easily be used to describe Thomas's approach. Most profound of all, is the reading of the third movement. There is a spiritual and transcendental quality and Thomas is never afraid to punctuate the climaxes. He pushes the San Fransisco players and your system!
The San Francisco Symphony prove to be an extemely gifted group of musicians who know this music technically and spiritually. Listen for the woodwinds throughout this recording, exquisitely played. And those oboes in third movement are outstanding! Laura Claycomb is a moving soloist with a wonderfully lyric voice in the finale.
The recording team are to be commended as well. The recording has a big, wide dynamic range and the instrument placement is excellent. The audience is nowhere to be heard, so there are no coughs or gasps to disrupt your enjoyment of this rapturous reading.
After hearing this recording, I am going to collect all of the recordings of Thomas and the SFS in this cycle. I listen to all of my SA-CDs in Multichannel and this is an amazing experience! This is simply a disc not to be missed. Fantastic!
I would also like to mention the impressive packaging of this disc. It contains an outer cardboard box which holds a traditional compact disc Jewel Case, (no rounded corners) and an impressive and lavish inner booklet with notes on the music, as well the SFS and the text to the fourth movement of the Symphony. Strangely, there are no notes on the soloist, Laura Claycomb. An impressive package which adds to the overall presentation.
(This review refers to the Multichannel portion of this disc.)
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Review by thepilot December 27, 2004 (3 of 3 found this review helpful)
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Performance: Sonics: |
I still remember and cherish the first Decca recordings of SFSO with Blomstedt (the Strauss tone poems) that enthralled music lovers with the splendid playing of the orchestra and the wonderful Decca recordings.
Yes, the SFSO has always been a splendid orchestra and Thomas was a great Mahlerian even in his early days with the LSO (Remember that wonderful Mahler 3rd with LSO and Janet Baker for CBS?) Here the SFSO play like angels and Tilson Thomas gives us the performance of a lifetime, that is one of the best Mahler 4ths on the market. The recording is equally ravishing, perfectly balanced and completely realistic. I also liked the lavish packaging and I think I will buy the whole series.
The Davies Symphony Hall glorious acoustics finally make a difference and the multichannel mix transports the listener in a good seat of this splendid hall.
The recording is live but you would not know this because the playing of the orchestra is astonishingly presice and crisp. Bravo MTT, SFSO nad multichannel DSD recordings.
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