This Japanese RCA reissue, available on demand from Arkivmusic.com, features a majestic and gorgeously played “New World” symphony, with an impressively lyrical Largo and powerful climaxes. Eugene Ormandy’s previous New World, for Sony, actually was made with the London Symphony, one of his few recordings with an orchestra other than Philadelphia, so it’s good to hear him with his own orchestra in this music. The performance of The Moldau is cut from the same cloth: you can find more energetic versions, but there’s no disputing the excellence of the orchestra or the music’s richly lyrical thrust.
The Slavonic Dance makes a fine encore and receives a performance that’s so powerful that the dance element almost gets lost in the welter of sound. Still, it’s awfully exciting. Unfortunately the Scherzo capriccioso falls flat; it’s not just the slightly stodgy tempo, but also the dull sonics that make listening a chore. As with several issues in this series, the performances really need careful remastering from original tapes–but happily everything else sounds good, if hardly state of the art. If you collect Ormandy, you’ll be glad to know that this title is readily available.
