Notes and Editorial Reviews
The Italian Symphony is equally successful, with a superbly poised, vivacious first movement, a beautifully paced, persuasive Andante, a charming third movement with an enchantingly phrased trio section, and a fast, but featherweight finale.
The new disc celebrates Tamás Vásáry's debut on record as a symphonic conductor, and it seems to me a great success. Here is another case of a musician who has made a fruitful transition from piano keyboard to podium, and there is no doubt that he is in firm and confident control of the proceedings. In the introduction of the Scottish Symphony's first movement the mood is at once positive and purposeful, and the music moves forward with a strong cumulative
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feeling to the Allegro, whose an poco agitafo marking is faithfully observed in Vásáry's precise attack and quite marked but natural sounding fluctuations of tempo. The Scherzo bubbles along very attractively, while the Adagio is adorned by the most tender, lovingly shaped phrasing. A sharp, vigorous, almost jaunty quality characterizes the main Allegro section of the finale, and I was particularly impressed by the excellently managed coda.
The Italian Symphony is equally successful, with a superbly poised, vivacious first movement, a beautifully paced, persuasive Andante, a charming third movement with an enchantingly phrased trio section, and a fast, but featherweight finale. Collins's recording is very good indeed, but sounds just a shade synthetic. Has a touch of reverberation been added to the acoustic?
-- Gramophone [12/1989]
review of the original release on Collins Classics
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Works on This Recording
1.
Symphony no 3 in A minor, Op. 56 "Scottish" by Felix Mendelssohn
Conductor:
Tamás Vásáry
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Philharmonia Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1842; Germany
2.
Symphony no 4 in A major, Op. 90 "Italian" by Felix Mendelssohn
Conductor:
Tamás Vásáry
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Philharmonia Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1833; Germany
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