It’s strange that a conductor and orchestra who can turn in such a respectable Rite of Spring can couple it with such a soft-edged Symphony in Three Movements. In the former, for example, Jonathan Nott has the orchestra playing with admirable rhythmic clarity in The Procession of the Sage in Part One, and plenty of ferocity in the concluding Sacrificial Dance. In the latter, the outer movements (the first especially) simply lack the sharpness and angularity that the music clearly requires, while the sonics create a realistic but also somewhat fuzzy general impression.
Here’s the bottom line: we live at a time when this repertoire, once considered so formidable, falls easily within the range of most second or third-tier orchestras, and it’s always good to see smaller labels partnering with them. Ambition is healthy. But at the same time competition in these pieces is especially fierce, with multiple outstanding versions of each available at very reasonable prices. So any newcomer really needs to be truly outstanding and distinctive, and this release is not. End of story.
