Gerard Schwarz and the Seattle Symphony Orchestra recorded Igor Stravinsky's neo-classical ballet Pulcinella in 1990, so the first thing listeners will encounter with this 2012 Naxos reissue is the general flatness and unevenness of the early digital sound, which lacks a sense of dimensions, and in some tracks, the absence of natural resonance. In retrospect, this was adequate CD quality for the time, as it was produced by Delos for the original release, but since then, advances in audiophile recording have made the ...
Read More
Gerard Schwarz and the Seattle Symphony Orchestra recorded Igor Stravinsky's neo-classical ballet Pulcinella in 1990, so the first thing listeners will encounter with this 2012 Naxos reissue is the general flatness and unevenness of the early digital sound, which lacks a sense of dimensions, and in some tracks, the absence of natural resonance. In retrospect, this was adequate CD quality for the time, as it was produced by Delos for the original release, but since then, advances in audiophile recording have made the reproduction unsatisfactory. Even if the lackluster sound weren't an issue, the playing is sluggish at the outset and the ballet as a whole seems unnecessarily cautious in tempo and pacing. However, while Schwarz's tempos are sometimes slower than most conductors take, once the piece progresses, listeners can settle into the music and get an idea of what he is trying to do. This rendition of Pulcinella comes off as a bit too gentle and languorous for a rollicking Commedia dell'arte piece,...
Read Less