Rachmaninov: Symphonies 1-3; The Bells; Symphonic Dances; The Isle of the Dead [Box set]

The music itself is divine. The mixing is spot on (A very rare compliment to hear from my mouth). What more could I want? More works by Rachmaninov like this please!

And then there's this set, in which calculation and intellect lead to--Zzzzzzz. I've heard performances of the Rachmaninoff 2nd that were too sugary. I've heard performances that were too slow and heavy. But I've never heard any before that didn't affect me at all. But that's what I get here, as I do with the rest of the works on this album. Everyone plays the notes. They play them beautifully. Whether it's through splicing or because the Concertgebouw, even at this late post-Haitink stage was still a beautiful orchestra, the execution is flawless. But in the end what does Ashkenazzzzy say in any of these works. Nothing that I can figure out. If he wanted to unsentimentalize them that's fine, but he doesn't even do that. To me these are simply uninspired performances. Even the creepy Isle of the Dead is very, um, dead. Performed correctly, this work has a haunting, deja-vuish quality. Performed badly, it can sound like bad 1940s film music. Here it doesn't sound like much of anything.

My favorite Rachy 1st and 2nd symphonies still remain Previn--the first with the LSO (Angel/EMI) from the early 70s, the second on Telarc from 1985. (Honorable mention goes to Eugene Ormandy and the Philly Orch on CBS/Sony.) For the 3rd Symphony and the Isle, nothing for me tops--or probably ever will top--Rachmaninoff himself with the Philadelphia Orchestra, 1940. If you want to hear real Russian soul without excessive Hollywoodisms, just listen to those performances. Sadly, the sound is less than great, but it's a small price to pay for the greatest performances you're ever likely to hear of those works. He really makes use of the tone colors of the Philadelphia strings. The strings here, by contrasy, have no color. Neither do the winds, nor brass.

This set is, to me, very forgettable, like a lot of Ashkenazy's conducting.

And then there's this set, in which calculation and intellect lead to--Zzzzzzz. I've heard performances of the Rachmaninoff 2nd that were too sugary. I've heard performances that were too slow and heavy. But I've never heard any before that didn't affect me at all. But that's what I get here, as I do with the rest of the works on this album. Everyone plays the notes. They play them beautifully. Whether it's through splicing or because the Concertgebouw, even at this late post-Haitink stage was still a beautiful orchestra, the execution is flawless. But in the end what does Ashkenazzzzy say in any of these works. Nothing that I can figure out. If he wanted to unsentimentalize them that's fine, but he doesn't even do that. To me these are simply uninspired performances.

Even the creepy Isle of the Dead is very, um, dead. Performed correctly, this work has a haunting, deja-vuish quality. Performed incorrectly, it can sound like bad 1940s film music. Here it doesn't sound like much of anything.

My favorite Rachy 1st and 2nd symphonies still remain Previn--the first with the LSO (Angel/EMI) from the early 70s, the second on Telarc from 1985. (Honorable mention goes to Eugene Ormandy and the Philly Orch on CBS/Sony.) For the 3rd Symphony and the Isle, nothing for me tops--or probably ever will top--Rachmaninoff himself with the Philadelphia Orchestra, 1940. If you want to hear real Russian soul without excessive Hollywoodisms, just listen to those performances. Sadly, the sound is less than great, but it's a small price to pay for the greatest performances you're ever likely to hear of those works. He really makes use of the tone colors of the Philadelphia strings. The strings here, by contrasy, have no color. Neither do the winds, nor brass.

This set is, to me, very dispensible, like a lot of Ashkenazy's conducting.