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Review by krisjan March 16, 2010 (9 of 10 found this review helpful)
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Performance: Sonics (S): |
Wow! This is an amazing recording. Wigglesworth is true to his approach in previously released symphonies in this series - he is deliberate and dramatic, milking every ounce of angst from the score. For me, this approach did not work at all in the mighty 8th which was simply too slow. The 11th however benefits greatly. What in other hands can become banal and bombastic, his deliberate conducting paints a vivid tone picture of the events that inspired this symphony (commemorating the 50th anniversary of the bloody 1905 Russian revolution). The other performances I have of this (including the Caetani SACD and Jarvi on RBCD) emphasize the bombast and as a result trivialize the music although Caetani has an even longer total timing by nearly 3 minutes (Wigglesworth clocks in at 63:41). Jarvi races through in 54:49 - it's exciting but fails to convey the inherent drama in the music.
The sound is also excellent. BIS have captured the low end foundation of the large orchestra realistically creating a very credible soundstage without too much hall sound. The dynamic range is HUGE - make sure you set the volume appropriately. Strings have a silky sheen and winds and brass are faithfully captured. Tympani and bass drum have realistic impact, too. It doesn't get much better than this. Highly recommended!
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