Rimsky Korsakov Great Orchestral Works

The members of the Zurich Ensemble are Fabio di Càsola (clarinet), Kamilla Schatz (violin), Pi-Chin Chien (cello), and Benjamin Engeli (piano). The ensemble’s web site doesn’t indicate when it was founded or even whether this is its first CD. (This is, however, the only CD listed on ArkivMusic’s site, so draw your own conclusions.) Be that as it may, this is a thoroughly delightful CD, headlined by a clever arrangement of Rimsky-Korsakov’s enduring warhorse, and complemented by the less familiar works by Khachaturian and Sergei Bortkiewicz.

Decca/London introduced Phase 4 Stereo in 1961. For classical music, the Phase 4 approach was based on miking every orchestra section individually, along with mics for selected instruments – up to a maximum of 20 channels, which were then mixed via a recording console. This resulted in a dynamic, in your face sound with relatively little hall ambience. The quality of the sound mostly depended on how skillfully the recording engineer balanced each channel – and the results were not always consistent.

Decca/London introduced Phase 4 Stereo in 1961. For classical music, the Phase 4 approach was based on miking every orchestra section individually, along with mics for selected instruments – up to a maximum of 20 channels, which were then mixed via a recording console. This resulted in a dynamic, in your face sound with relatively little hall ambience. The quality of the sound mostly depended on how skillfully the recording engineer balanced each channel – and the results were not always consistent. Thus, the Phase 4 sound was the antithesis of the minimally miked, “simplicity is wisdom” approach of the RCA’s early Living Stereo and Mercury’s Living Presence recordings, along with Telarc’s early digital recordings.

Glazunov - Two Preludes, To the Memory of N Gogol, Carnival, Fortune-Telling & Dance, Finnish Sketches - Evgeni Svetlanov (1990)
Melodiya | USSR | SUCD 10-00163 | 1990 | 1 CD | EAC Rip | FLAC (img + cue), LOG | 7 Tracks | TT 56:16 | Covers (jpg 300 dpi) | RAR 233 MB + 3% Recovery | FSonic/FServe
Classical / Sympohonic / Orchestral

All the symphonic works by A. Glazunow (and many of them for the first time) have reached the audience due to the unique series of recordings "Anthology of Russian Symphony Music" made bv the USSR Symphony Orchestra under Evgeni Svetlanov. Each interpretation of the conductor is the result of the profound understanding of Ihe author's concept, inspired by a powerful creative individuality and high performing mastery of the conductor.
The programme presents Glazunov's works created during the two decades. The earliest among them is the orchestral overture "Carnival" (1893).

The great Bohemian-born composer Gustav Mahler once said, "A symphony must be like the world. It must embrace everything." Over the course of its nearly 300-year life, the symphony has indeed embraced almost every trend to be found in Western concert music. In this series of 24 45-minute lectures, Professor Robert Greenberg guides the listener on a survey of the symphony. You'll listen to selections from the greatest symphonies by many of the greatest composers of the past 300 years. You'll also hear selections from some overlooked works that, undeservedly, have been forgotten by contemporary audiences.