These are competent performances, warmly recorded, but there’s little else worth noting. Slatkin elicits playing from the St. Louis strings that’s smooth to the point of blandness. In the Tallis Fantasia, one listens in vain for a hint of passion, for the dynamic range and natural flexibility of pulse that characterizes the great recordings by Silvestri or Barbirolli (both on EMI). The other major work, the Tchaikovsky Serenade, goes a bit better (the second movement waltz has a nice lilt to it), but the lack of tension in the outer movements, the unwillingness of the players to dig hard and point the rhythms, ultimately lets the music slip away like warm bath water down the drain. It other words, it’s pleasant, but not memorable.
Less is at stake in the shorter works, though the Greensleeves Fantasia droops, the Pachelbel is irrelevant, the Barber Adagio lacks intensity, and the Fauré Pavane sounds like it always does. I almost forgot about Grainger’s Irish Tune from County Derry, and so will you. It’s generous of Telarc to offer such good value in combining two discs, and the sonics match the interpretation: warm and fuzzy. These were not Telarc’s best early recordings, though there’s no denying their naturalness. Certainly they accurately reflect what Slatkin and his orchestra are doing, for better or worse. I can see this disc appealing to the “quiet listening” crowd, but if you love the major works and seek great performances in exceptional sound, this disc doesn’t fit the bill.
