Soundbite 60: A sixty-word précis-review of the latest CD releases
Saint-Saëns
Danse macabre, Op.40
The Carnival of the Animals – Zoological Fantasy*
Allegro appassionato for cello and orchestra, Op.43**
Symphony No.3 in C minor, Op.78***
Samson and Delilah – Bacchanale****
John Ogdon & Brenda Lucas (pianos)*
Paul Tortelier (cello)**
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra [Christopher Robinson (organ)***]
Louis Frémaux
Orchestra of Paris Opera
Georges Prêtre****
Recordings dates and locations not documented; CBSO items produced between 1971-75 and Paris Opera taping is a 1963 production
CD No: CLASSICS FOR PLEASURE 3 82233 2 Duration: 75 minutes Reviewed: January 2007
Saint-Saëns
...a sixty-word review by Colin Anderson
A winning collection of Saint-Saëns favourites – Danse macabre is animated and spooky, the Carnival – ‘The Swan’ and other animals – is vividly characterised and attentive to detail and the symphony glows with warmth and vitality, the organ integrated but majestic. The recorded sound (expertly re-mastered) can be a tad distant, but all the performers appreciate Saint-Saëns’s craftsmanship and fund of invention.