Let’s face it: this recording was made because Exton wanted to offer these pieces in sensational SACD surround sound, and the engineering is impressive. The big climaxes are suitably crushing in terms of sheer decibels, but the performances are lackluster and the orchestra is less than top-notch. Nor is the conducting anything to write home about. The climactic concluding march in Pines is flat-footed, while the final section of Festivals (“Epiphany”) is both slow and metronomic. Many of the quieter moments are quite beautiful, and Fountains comes off well since it relies less on orchestral virtuosity, but that’s a given. Honestly, a great performance more than makes up for any slight deficiency in sonics, and in this music nothing less will do. I’ll take Muti (or even Toscanini, in excellent mono) any day over this. I suspect you will too.
