Though there are good points to all three sets, probably the best of the three volumes of the London Philharmonic's 75th Anniversary edition is the third. For one thing, the choice of repertoire is stronger: instead of the first volume's excerpts and shorter works or the second volume's predominantly English fare, the third volume features mostly concert-length international works. In the second place, there is a more consistent level of inspiration to the performances themselves. And in the third place, the sound is far ...
Read More
Though there are good points to all three sets, probably the best of the three volumes of the London Philharmonic's 75th Anniversary edition is the third. For one thing, the choice of repertoire is stronger: instead of the first volume's excerpts and shorter works or the second volume's predominantly English fare, the third volume features mostly concert-length international works. In the second place, there is a more consistent level of inspiration to the performances themselves. And in the third place, the sound is far better than either of the earlier volumes. Where the first volume sounds understandably antique and the second volume sounds superb for its time, the third volume sounds amazingly realistic and vivid.Klaus Tennstedt's grandly ecstatic Beethoven's Ninth Symphony from October 1992 with soprano Lucia Popp, mezzo-soprano Ann Murray, tenor Anthony Rolfe Johnson, and bass René Pape is a fitting capstone to the late conductor's career. Kurt Masur's urgently driven Shostakovich's First and...
Read Less
Portions of content provided by Rovi Corporation. © 2022 Rovi Corporation.