In Reply to: Sarasate's Carmen: Which Vinyl Version? posted by mcguirek on May 13, 2012 at 16:44:35:
A couple of weeks ago I mentioned I heard Rachel Barton Pine play Sarasate's 'Carmen Fantasy for Violin and Orchestra' with our Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Roberto Minczuk. Ms. Pine used her 1742 “ex-Soldat” violin by Guarneri del Gesu.
Today I played the Hi-Q reissue LP of Itzhak Perlman and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (from a 1971 performance); this performance had received a Rosette in the Penguin Guide. The pressing was very quiet with great dynamics and sound but I was less enthralled by the performance. Yes it was very good, but after having heard Ms. Rachel Barton Pine it was a bit of a letdown. Now, it may be that the visual effect, plus the sound, of a live performance created more of a "feeling" than a recording however I think there were also some musical differences.
I think Ms. Pine applied much more texture to the string tone: She had said pre-concert that she likes her characters to be full. I think also that the sound of the orchestra was nicely balanced with her violin; the Guarneri more than holding its own, with her playing reaching the heavens.
If you ever get a chance to hear this fabulous musician you MUST.
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Follow Ups
- UPDATE: Sarasate's Carmen: Which Vinyl Version? - mcguirek 16:44:54 05/29/12 (2)
- RE: UPDATE: Sarasate's Carmen: Which Vinyl Version? - Kal Rubinson 17:00:06 05/29/12 (1)
- great disc, but.... - Kas 11:19:46 05/31/12 (0)