I heard the finales of the recent Rach 3 by Sakari Oramo/Nikolai
Lugansky/City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra on the radio the other
day and was amazed by the lack of tension and lumbering pace. I was
surprised as I'd heard some exciting Nielsen from the CBSO/Oramo that
was the opposite of this. Try the last 5 minutes in the shop before
buying!
It was a relief to hear the 1930 Coates/Horowitz on Naxos (listen on
www.naxos.com). Coates' firey conducting and Horowitz's sheer virtuosity
in the final pages are breathtaking. Who cares about the sound - this
is definately the better CD of the two.
David Harbin
Nottingham, UK