A few years ago this performance would have been more competitive than it is today. It’s still very good by any measure, well played and well recorded. John Storgards typically pays great attention to details of string articulation and to Korngold’s always glittering textures. He’s aided in this respect, but hindered in others, by slowish tempos (similar to Previn’s DG recording) that tend to weigh the music down, the first two movements in particular. The Tänzchen im alten Stil, a seven-minute piece receiving its world-premiere recording, is a charming trifle, and Korngold completists who don’t mind owning another recording of the symphony will likely find more than enough here to justify purchase. However, if it’s the symphony that you’re looking for, go with Albrecht on Pentatone for the best-sounding modern version, or Welser-Möst on EMI, or the classic Kempe, if you can still find it.
