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This disc is drawn from the concerts inaugurating the new organ in Philadelphia’s concert hall, a fine instrument well-captured by the engineers. But along with the sense of occasion, organist Olivier Latry and the orchestra deliver stunning playing of a stimulating program. Barber’s celebratory overture is an apt opener, full of color and sparkle. The Poulenc is especially notable for the intensity soloist and the orchestra bring to one of the finest modern concertos in th… More >>
Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 3; Poulenc: Organ Concerto; Barber: Toccata Festiva
Tags: amazon, Barber, celebratory, Concerto, Festiva, new organ, Organ, organ concerto, organist, Poulenc, SaintSaëns, soloist, Symphony, symphony no 3, toccata
#1 by LM Services on April 7, 2010 - 12:06 am
This is a must have recording! It’s just fantastic. The organ and symphonic playing are mesmerising.
Rating: 5 / 5
#2 by R. J. Gonzalez on April 7, 2010 - 2:06 am
These are the best SACD sonics the Barber Toccata Festiva will EVER get. The organ and the orchestra are great and, for once, Eschenbach doesn’t decide to drive while pressing the gas and brake pedals at the same time… He can be so incredibly pedantic about simple music. The bad thing is he totally misses the point in the Poulenc while the organist just hangs on… The Saint-Saëns is earthbound. At least the lovely Dobson organ doesn’t need to breathe while Eschenbach is plodding with his heavy boots. I have played and conducted all three of these pieces. The 5 stars is for the AMAZING sonics and the Barber. The rest of the disc is optional… By the way, the Philadelphia musicians are wonderful… and lovely!
Rating: 5 / 5
#3 by A. Craig on April 7, 2010 - 4:01 am
This SACD from a series of concerts in Phillidelphia, show what a modern organ can do in the right hands and feet. Olivier Latry and Christoph Eschenbach with the famous Philidelphia Orchestra bring us three of the great works for organ and orchestra. Both the Barber and the Poulenc works recieve stunning performances. The problem I have with this disc is the Saint-Saens. Eschenbach micromanages the various movements of the symphony to a “fair thee well” where the finale should flow it stops and starts, he almost turns the finale into a roller coaster ride, he goes too
fast in some spots. Its almost like he is in a hurry to get to the end of the concert so he can go home. I think the Munch< BSO and the Levine, BPO recordings and especially the Plasson recording all do much better justice to the work.
Rating: 4 / 5
#4 by Andrei Danilov on April 7, 2010 - 4:28 am
Very interesting music. Good performance. Exceptional surround sound.
This disk is real godsend for melomaniacs & audiophiles!
Rating: 5 / 5
#5 by Dermot Elworthy on April 7, 2010 - 7:07 am
For years I have admired Christoff Eschenbach as a pianist and an unusually sensitive accompanist. This is my first exposure to him as a conductor – sadly, I am disappointed.
The Barber I quite liked; the Poulenc I thought wooden. However, to me they were of secondary importance as I bought the CD for the Saint-Saëns/Dobson/Latry/Philadelphia partnership; one that works very well on this disc – a superior recording responsible for most of the four stars awarded. The factor out of balance in this equation is, perhaps surprisingly, Eschenbach.
Solti could be irritatingly slow but he was, by comparison with Eschenbach in this performance, positively Toscanini-esque. All four sections of the Organ Symphony were taken at much too slow a pace but the “poco adagio” was thoroughly somnambulant and the “maestoso” section anything but. That the Philadelphia Orchestra was able to maintain the excellent cohesion displayed at this less-than-pedestrian pace is a measure of their quality.
If it is the Saint-Saëns that you want, you could do much better elsewhere. This work requires a powerful organ with convincing plein jeu in order to effectively balance the orchestra but so many recordings have either employed an asthmatic instrument or, as to a degree obtains in this case, effected a solo/orchestra imbalance. This balance is difficult to achieve but, in my view, was nicely accomplished by Jane Parker-Smith and the London Philharmonic in 1982/83. The two dates arise from the orchestral and solo parts being separately recorded at different times and at different venues. Perhaps this is a “cheat” but it resulted in what I consider the best recording of this work and the one I would recommend.
Rating: 4 / 5