Yoel Levi and Atlanta turn in a typically disciplined account of this wonderful symphony, a bit darker in tone and less screechy on top than many other versions, and that’s all to the good. If I have any qualms about the performance, it’s that the Scherzo tends to hang fire when the principal thematic material returns after the trio section, and the closing pages aren’t quite as effortlessly celebratory as they could be–but these are minor reservations. I have no quibbles at all, though, with Music for the Theatre, given a neatly virtuosic reading with a fizzy Dance and Burlesque and aptly unsentimental quiet moments. Telarc’s sonics remain marvelous. At mid-price this is a pretty good deal.
