RCA Living Stereo: Saint-Saens, Debussy, Ibert - Symphony No. 3, La Mer, Escales (1956-59) (eac-flac-cover)

RCA Living Stereo: Saint-Saëns, Debussy, Ibert  -  Symphony No. 3, La Mer, Escales (1956-59) 
Charles Munch, BSO

classical | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 390MB

RCA | SACD | rel.: 2004 | RAR +5% recovery

Tower.com:
This is another of Charles Munch's blazing collaborations with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in the French repertory, and a fine example of how this conductor could take a warhorse and turn it back into a serious piece of music--serious but not dull. The opening Allegro is impassioned, the Adagio is intensely poetic and expressive, and the finale generates real edge-of-the-seat excitement. The "Living Stereo" remastering has restored the lifelike presence of the original recording and minimized the effects of tape saturation in the loudest passages. The glorious tone of the orchestra comes through loud and clear, along with a thrilling sense of Symphony Hall ambience. Debussy's La Mer and Ibert's Escales... make a generous coupling and are every bit as impressively performed. --Ted Libbey

Recorded in 1956 (Debussy, Ibert) and 1959 (Saint-Saëns), these jewels from stereo's golden age, all Munch specialities, receive their finest transfers yet. Close use of the microphone suits Munch's La Mer, a seascape illuminated in primary colors rather than conventional pastels. Ibert's colorful Escales ("Ports of Call") gets an intense, bracing reading, and so does the Saint-Saëns. Recorded balance in the latter's third movement, though, is distorted and fuzzy during loud tuttis when the organ and orchestra kick in simultaneously. And one might desire more contrasted dynamics and articulation in the finale's fugal build-up. But don't let tiny blemishes like these deter you from buying this lovable disc. --Jed Distler

Tracks:
Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 78 "Organ"
1. Adagio; Allegro moderato (9'53)
2. Poco adagio (9'36)
3. Allegro moderato; Presto (7'33)
4. Maestoso; Allegro (7'40)
Debussy: La Mer
5. De l'aube à midi sur la mer (8'37)
6. Jeux de vagues (6'15)
7. Dialogue du vent et de la mer (7'58)
Ibert: Escales (Ports of Call)
8. Rome-Palermo: Calme (6'34)
9. Tunis-Nefta: Modéré très rythmé (2'42)
10. Valencia: Animé (6'04)

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