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Label:
  Mercury Living Presence
Serial:
  470 637-2
Title:
  Respighi: Ancient Airs and Dances - Dorati
Description:
  Respighi: Ancient Airs and Dances Suites 1-3

Philharmonia Hungarica
Antal Dorati (conductor)
Track listing:
 
Genre:
  Classical - Orchestral
Content:
  Stereo/Multichannel
Media:
  Hybrid
Recording type:
  Analogue
Recording info:
 

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Related titles: 6 show all


 
Reviews: 4 show all

Review by tream October 24, 2004 (6 of 6 found this review helpful)
Performance:   Sonics:
Here I thought I was going to be original by nominating this recording as a desert island must have only to find thepilot has beaten me to it. I have owned and loved this recording for about 30 years, first as a Barclay Crocker reel to reel tape, then, when my tape deck's heads wore out in the early 80's, first as an indifferently pressed Mercury Gold LP, then as a CD. This incarnation is terrific, the music wonderful, and the performance the best I've ever heard. One of the classics, a must have.

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Review by thepilot September 23, 2004 (4 of 4 found this review helpful)
Performance:   Sonics:
If I could give this SACD, 10 stars in performance and sound quality I would do it without the slightest hesitation. The transfer produces miraculously realistic sound with a tremendous dynamic range and is a dramatic improvement over the previous CD transfer. The 3 channel DSD program is a splendid example of the Mercury Team art at its best, and you really don't miss the surround channels.The performances are bursting with energy and finesse. What more could you ask? A desert island SACD.

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Review by nickc January 27, 2005 (4 of 10 found this review helpful)
Performance:   Sonics:
Good but not great recording of some, if truth be told, not really top-notch pieces. I'll deal with the music first. These are arrangements of 17-18th. century Italian pieces for lute for a small orchestra. I have to say I don't find the music itself terribly inspiring, though I wonder what it would sound like played by Europa Galante or Concerto Italiano, my two favourite Italian period ensembles. It all sound a bit heavy here, like Karl Richter's Bach from the 60s does now. The rise of period performance has served to make these 50s and 60s Baroque recordings all sound a bit heavy and slow now.
The sound is also slightly heavy with the violins not sounding particularly sweet. It is not anywhere near the level of the Mercury Firebird which still sounds astonishing to me.

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Works: 3  

Ottorino Respighi - Antiche danze ed arie per liuto (Ancient Airs & Dances) Suite No. 1, P. 109
Ottorino Respighi - Antiche danze ed arie per liuto (Ancient Airs & Dances) Suite No. 2, P. 138
Ottorino Respighi - Antiche danze ed arie per liuto (Ancient Airs & Dances) Suite No. 3, P. 172