★★★★★
Over the 40 year span that the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra has been perfuming, only the last dozen of those have featured the major Beethoven symphonies. What's more, the last - and only - Beethoven recording was set down in 1987, the year of my birth. So it goes without saying that this is a major coming of age party for the ensemble. With over 70 recordings so far over that four decade span, the Orpheus forces have demonstrated a strong affinity for works ranging from Bach to Stravinsky...
- www.classical.net
2014-04-11
★★★★★
It makes sense that Orpheus should play Orpheus, and the only possible caveat concerning this "on-demand" release from Arkivmusic.com is the short playing time of about 50 minutes (recoupled with, say, this same group's Pulcinella Suite, you would have had a disc for the ages). That said, these are well-nigh perfect performances: pellucidly clear, rhythmically incisive, sensitive to every dynamic nuance, and simply a joy from first bar to last...
- www.classicstoday.com
2010-08-23
★★★★★
It was bound to happen: the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra has finally gotten around to recording Stravinsky's "Orpheus". At 50 minutes, this disc offers somewhat short measure, but it's still a heck of a lot cheaper than schlepping out to a concert, and the performances are very, very fine. This conductorless chamber orchestra has every musical strand of Stravinsky's mythological ballet literally quivering with energy...
- www.classicstoday.com
2010-08-23
★★★★★
From his first entry in Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21, soloist Jonathan Biss lays claim to the listener's undivided attention. Clarity, poise, dramatic undertow, a buoyant elasticity of tempos, acute responsiveness to the orchestra - everything unfolds with a sublime sense of naturalness. Mozart's genius shines through, unclouded by overly polished competence or interpretive caprice. Any recording of these two familiar works runs the risk of violating some ideal standard...
- www.sfgate.com
2009-11-06
★★★★★
This is one of the great Copland recordings. It showcases the composer's entire career in refreshing, razor-sharp performances that feature perfectly judged tempos, crystal clear textures, and amazingly clean rhythms. The Short Symphony in particular receives a stunning performance. We've come a long way from the days when this music was considered virtually unplayable on account of its rhythmic intricacies...
- www.classicstoday.com
2009-06-06
★★★★★
This disc contains note-perfect performances of some real gems, particularly the charming two Suites for Small Orchestra, the Concertino, and Ragtime. Both the Concerto in D and the Octet have always stuck me as excessively dry, and here the accuracy of the playing, which sometimes verges on the mechanical, exaggerates the music's impersonal qualities...
- www.classicstoday.com
2009-06-06
★★★★★
If you want these works, then you will find no finer recording in the catalog than this one, now permanently available thanks to Arkivmusic.com's "on demand" process (with original booklet and notes). Although the most familiar works are "The Philosopher" (with its two English horns replacing the usual oboes) and the "Roxelane" symphony, the standout piece actually is Symphony No. 80 in D minor...
- www.classicstoday.com
2009-06-06
★★★★★
Haydn's symphonies remain the step-children of the record catalog, particularly the early and middle-period works. Why this should be so remains a mystery. Listen to these two pieces, so different in character. No. 48 is all pomp and festivity, with wild horn parts (this performance omits the later addition of timpani); No...
- www.classicstoday.com
2009-06-06
★★★★★
What an odd assortment of familiar and unknown selections! Perhaps the most interesting is Hugo Wolf's own chamber orchestra version of the beloved Italian Serenade. The transcription is brilliant and refreshing to hear after a lifetime of acquaintance with the string quartet instrumentation, though it is odd to hear wind instruments in this music. Alas, Orpheus takes it all far too seriously...
- www.classical.net
2009-06-06
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