The lush sound of the Vienna Philharmonic strings make an enticing opening to Les Preludes. Zubin Mehta is an ardent admirer of this music, but it’s obvious that the orchestra does not share his feeling. They steadfastly refuse to let themselves go, and do their darndest to make the piece sound like Wagner. Moving from Vienna to Los Angeles for the Battle of the Huns, it’s clear that the drapes have been drawn, letting in the California sunshine. The orchestra plays with much more alertness, flexibility and enjoyment. (Judging from the prominent sound of the tuba, he’s really having a good time!) The same goes for Orpheus and Mazeppa. Mehta re-recorded much of this program a few years ago with the Berlin Philharmonic in superlative performances on Sony Classical, and while the LAPO cannot match the BPO for sheer tonal beauty, the Los Angeles players make up for it with more color and variety. The Vienna recording is constricted sonically, but the LA production opens up more, though not as much as usual from this source.
