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The Wall Street Journal
“Philadelphia Orchestra’s first recording under its music director, Christoph Eschenbach, proves an auspicious beginning to a new three-year agreement with the independent Finland-based label Ondine. … The performances … are stunning. The Bartók is full of wonderful instrumental details that offer new viewpoints of a seminal 20th-century score, from the shimmering opening of the strings to the high-tension close.”
February 25-26, 2006 Fanfare Magazine
Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra is “played with nuance, grace, and great attention to detail. … The playing of the Philadelphia’s woodwinds is breathtaking here – balance, intonation, and blend are flawless. … Let’s hope the partnership of The Philadelphia Orchestra and Ondine is a long and fruitful one.”
March/April 2006
The German Record Critic' Award
Placed on Quarterly List of Top Recordings
The German Record Critics’ Award (‘Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik’) has been in existence since 1963. It was inaugurated to set the ‘most rigorous standards for supreme achievement’ in the field of recording.
February 2006
Philadelphia City Paper
Best CDs of 2005! – Top 10 Classical!
“Bravi, tutti, for an excellent start. Christoph Eschenbach’s program is bold and gratifying, and he leads the band with his usual fervor and quest for musical integrity.”
December 22-29, 2005
Philadelphia Inquirer
“Eschenbach’s treatment of the second movement’s angular rhythms [in Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra] accentuates the music’s witty left turns. The third movement is treated as the dark heart of the piece: Winds play with special anguish, and birdlike sounds are more ominous than pastoral. The final movement is taken at an exhilarating breakneck tempo that the orchestra sustains. …”
November 2, 2005
Philadelphia Daily News
“The sound is excellent. …Eschenbach finds the soul … of the colorful, brilliantly scored work [Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra].”
December 30, 2005
ClassicsToday.com
Artistic Quality 10/10 Sound Quality.
“[T] he Philadelphia tradition of great string playing is very much alive and well. Eschenbach leads a performance both warm and incisive, revealing a major work in the process. …
“The Philadelphia Orchestra already has at least two recordings of Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra to its credit, both with Eugene Ormandy. … This newcomer clearly is finer than either of those, as exciting a rendition as any available…. Listen to the rush of excitement in the transition to the first-movement allegro, or to the beautiful balance between woodwinds and harps in the second subject. …It's the real deal, from the very first note. …
“Eschenbach takes care to bring out plenty of textural details in the dark slow movement without ever letting the music bog down in the process, and the violins are wonderfully anguished and expressive. …In sum, this performance offers masterful musicianship with the kind of spontaneity that you expect from a live performance.
“All in all, this release represents a most auspicious beginning to the relationship between Philadelphia and Ondine. I’m pleased … to be able to recommend it to you in the strongest possible terms.”
November 10, 2005
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Copyright 2001-2006 The Philadelphia Orchestra Association |
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