Deryk Barker wrote:

>Just what the world needs another Four ******** Seasons...
>
>There's also one with Zukerman playing and directing the National Arts
>Centre Orchestra. What I heard of it was fairly horrible.

I haven't heard the CD, but I did see him in concert with the NACO just
this past Wednesday playing the Four Seasons, and if the CD is anything
like his concert, then it must be horrible.  Zukerman treated the whole
event as though it was another day at the office.  I don't know really
what the standard practice is, but he just bothered to play the solo part.
Others I've seen actually join in with the orchestra to play the tuttis.
Zukerman just stood there and waved his bow symbolically and pretended to
conduct.  For someone of his stature, his intonation wasn't always all
there.  Ironically, he thawed out in time for Winter ;-).  However, to be
fair, the NACO were the real stars of the evening.  They played everything
with pinpoint accuracy, not only the Four Seasons, but also Koprowski's
Epitaph, and Mozart's Symphony No.40.  In all honesty, I don't think they
really needed Zukerman, except for the rather dull Four Seasons.

Milan Gowin
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http://www.ualberta.ca/~mgowin/