This is a so-called Real Surround recording, and if the listener uses a surround system, he has the impression to sit among the musicians. The orchestra Concerto Budapest has a history dating back to 1907, but took its current name only in 2009, two years after the violinist and conductor Andras Keller took over as musical director. In the Ninth Symphony’s first movement, we note exciting contrasts, with very slow, almost floating parts and powerful, almost harsh reactions, as well as a lively, extremely detailed and well-balanced music-making. The very slowly played Largo radiates a lot of warmth and is full of feeling without becoming sentimental-sweet. A wonderful orchestral transparency, a lot of momentum and strong accents bring the two last movements to life, whereby the surround sound experience allows the listener to hear details from the woodwinds, which one normally does not notice. With the excellent Miklos Perenyi as soloist, Waldesruhe and Rondo are warm and lyrically expressive. The CD ends with three lively and very colourful Slavonic Dances.
Guy Engels<< back