Title: What Happened???
Review: It's amazing that the Chicago Symphony, once the toast of the orchestral world, never recorded Strauss' Alpine Symphony before this. Most of their other Strauss recordings are considered definitive. So, like many, I was looking forward to this issue, which turned out to be a disappointing train wreck. Like all of Erato's recordings with Barenboim and the CSO, the recording levels are frustratingly low and the sound has a thin, shrill quality. It sounds as though most of this recording was made when the orchestra (especially the brass) was very tired. Gone is the power and breadth of the Chicago sound, replaced by poor intonation, feeble tone quality, and sloppy ensemble. It's amazing that anyone--Barenboim, the CSO, or Erato's producers--allowed this horror show onto the market. I recommend the Cleveland Orchestra's powerful Alpine Symphony performance on the Decca label with Vladimir Ashkenazy conducting.
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