Fantasia para un gentil hombre

RODRIGO: Concierto De Aranjuez (arr. Zabaleta)*, Adagio, Cançoneta†, Dos Berceuses, Homenaje A La Tempranica, Miedo, Preludio Al Alhambra, †Felix Parra Aguilera – violin, State of Mexico Symphony Orchestra, Enrique Bátiz.

“. . . played with a fine feeling for drama and pace by the Mexican orchestra under Enrique Bátiz . . . outstanding” ****

BBC Music Magazine

RODRIGO, volume 1

RODRIGO: Fantasia para un Gentilhombre; Concierto Andaluz. Alfonso Moreno, (guitar in Fantasía); Alfonso Moreno, Minerva Garibay, Cecilia Lopez, Jesus Ruiz (guitars in Concierto); Symphony Orchestra of the State of Mexico; Enrique Batiz, conductor.

* (i) Concierto Andaluz; Fantasia para un Gentilhombre. Symphony Orchestra of the State of Mexico; Enrique Batiz, conductor; (i) with Moreno, Garibay, Lopez.

(M) * *(*) HMV Dig. Green. ESD/TC-ESD 7145 [Var. Sara. VCDM 1000.150].Ruiz, Symphony Orchestra' of the State of Mexico, Enrique Batiz, conductor; (i) with Moreno, Garibay, Lopez.

". . .orchestral detail is excellent in the Fantasía and Batiz draws vivid sounds from his orchestra. The solo playing is excellent too. . .and this is certainly enjoyable."

(The Complete Penguin Stereo Record and Cassette Guide 1985)

". . .With his own Mexican State Symphony Orchestra. . . he directs lilting performances of two other Rodrigo works, the Fantasia para un Gentilhombre. . . and the Concierto Andaluz. . .

"Having a Mexican orchestra makes all the difference with that last work in particular, much more bouncy and persuasive than a brisker, bettermannered account that was recently recorded in Britain with the Romeros and the St. Martin's Academy. . ."

(Edward Greentield; Buried treasure; "The Guardian" August 17, 1982)

". . .the Orquesta Sinfonica del Estado de Mexico plays sensitively and one can only say with great joy under the baton of Enrique Batiz."

(Maryvonne Butcher; The Tablet, June 12, 1982)

"Best of the Month"

". . .No performance, however, can ever be definitive; and there is small justification for playing a work at all, unless to make it new. Enrique Batiz and his orchestra certainly do that."

(Peter Turner; Classical Reviews; Hi-Fi News and Record Review, April 1982)

"Recording of Special Merit"

"The Varese Sarabande disc, of course, would be a companion to an existing recording of the Concierto de Aranjuez rather than a replacement, and it makes a much stronger impression than the London. Handsome as the Bonell/Dutoit Fantasia may be, the opening phrases of the Moreno/Batiz performance is sheer magic, so idiomatically ingratiating that any resistance one may have simply melts, and the promise thus implied is more than fulfilled as the work unfolds... Batiz, who has been recording for this label with both English and Mexican orchestras, is a conductor of real sensitivity as well as technical assurance, and the unfamiliar guitarists are all one could ask in the way of dexterity and conviction."

(Richard Freed; Performance/Recording; Outstanding; Stereo Review, March 1982)

RODRIGO, volume 2

RODRIGO: Concierto de Aranjuez (1939); A la Busca del Mas Alla (In Search of the Beyond) (1976); Zarabanda Lejana y Villancico (1930). Alfonso Moreno (guitar); London Symphony Orchestra; Enrique Batiz, conductor.

* A la busca del mas alla; (i) Concierto de Aranjuez; Zarabanda lejana, y Villancico.

(M) **(*) EMI Dig. EMX 41 2068-1/4 [Ang. DS/4XS 37876]. LSO, Batiz; (i) with Moreno.

"The Zarabanda lejana (Distant sarabande) was Rodrigo's first work for guitar (1926), written in homage to Luis Milan. He later orchestrated it and added the Villancico to make a binary structure, the first part nobly elegiac, the second a gay dance movement, with a touch of harmonic astringency, but having something of the atmosphere of a carol. The symphonic poem, A la busca del mas alla (In search of the beyond) was written as recently as 1978, but, like all Rodrigo's music, its idiom is in no way avant-garde. It could easily be dismissed as film music without a film, yet it is evocative and powerfully scored and makes a curiously indelible impression. Batiz plays is with strong commitment, as he does the earlier piece, and the vividly brilliant, forwardly balanced digital sound produces a considerable impact on both disc and the boldly transferred cassette. . ."

(The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs, Cassettes and LPs 1986)

"During the (almost) three years that have passed since I reviewed the original issue of this recording I have had no cause to revise my opinion of it. It remains one of the best of the numerous available versions of the ever-present Concierto de Aranjuez on all counts. . . The aficionados in our midst may prefer a record that couples it with another guitar concerto, of which there are several good ones, whilst others may welcome the chance to encounter some of Rodrigo's otherwise-unrecorded works, agreeable helpings of late Romanticism served by a master chef, Batiz. . ."

(J.D.; Gramophone, April 1985)

* RODRIGO: A la busca del mas allá; (i) Concierto de Aranjuez; Zarabanda Lejana, y Villancico. London Symphony Orchestra; Enrique Batiz, conductor, (i) with Moreno.

* *(*) HMV Dig. ASD/TCC-ASD 4159 [Ang. DS/4XS 37876]. LSO, Batiz; (i) with Moreno.

"The symphonic poem, A la busca del mas alla (In search of the beyond). . . is evocatively and powerfully scored and makes a curiously indelible impression. Batiz plays it with strong commitment, as he does the earlier piece, and the vividly brilliant, forwardly balanced digital sound produces a considerable impact."

(The Complete Penguin Stereo Record and Cassette Guide 1985)

". . .John Bauman (FF) gives a gigantic thank-you' to conductor Batiz and Angel for bringing us the more obscure Rodrigo works. . . Bauman thinks the performances 'throughout are well-nigh ideal,'. . . And the orchestra 'plays superbly for Batiz,' who 'most certainly has a flair for Rodrigo's music.' Duarte (Gram) doubts that Rodrigo could "hope for a more persuasive advocate of his cause than Batiz whose stature in being made at least as apparent in the process."

(William Golman; Recorded Review and Consensus; Ovation, June 1983)

". . .Adding icing on the cake is the throbbing, incisive, lyrical, thoroughly accomplished performance of guitarist Alfonso Moreno, Batiz's idiomatic con ducting, and the fine work of the chameleonic London Symphony. There is plenty of room in the stores for a masterful recording like this."

(Richard S. Ginell; "Rodrigo Gets Some Overture Attention"; Classical Music; Darly Valley News, September 19, 1982)

"The latest version of the Concierto de Aranjuez "one of the best and sharpest yet" . . .has Enrique Batiz conducting the London Symphony Orchestra, and it is Batiz who, in a year when the Hispanic world has not been at its most popular in this country, has produced off his own bat a festival of Hispaniana on record."

(Edward Greenfield; Buried treasure; "The Guardian" August 17, 1982)

"Enrique Batiz has the fire of Joaquin Rodrigo's music in his blood. His reading here of the familiar Concierto de Aranjuez is a match for any of its rivals in Shwann."

(P.K.; Performance: Hot-blooded/Recording: Excellent; Stereo Review, July 1982)

"In a catalogue bursting with recordings of the ubiquitous Aranjuez there is none better than this. It would need an entire essay to enumerate the virtues of Moreno's impassioned and technically brilliant performance, the magnificent playing coaxed from the LSO by Batiz, the totality of the rapport among all concerned.. ."

(J.D.; Gramophone, July 1982)

"This greatest of guitar concertos receives an immaculate, expressive performance by all concerned, and makes a superb disc debut for Mexican guitarist Moreno. This new digital offers only a sampling of this treasure, but in study performances and a fine digital format. Recommended!".

(Heuwell Tircuit. "A Symphonic Hole-in-One"; Classical Records." The San Francisco Chronicle, May 2, 1982)

RODRIGO, volume 3

RODRIGO: Concierto de Estio for Violin and Orchestra; Concierto en Modo Galante for Cello and Orchestra. Agustin Leon Ara (violin); Robert Cohen (cello); London Symphony Orchestra; Enrique Batiz, conductor.

* (i) Concierto de Estio (for violin); (ii) Concierto en Modo Galante (for cello). London Symphony Orchestra; Enrique Batiz, conductor; with (i) Ara, (ii) Cohen.

* * * HMV Dig. ASD/TCC-ASD 4198 [Ang. SD/4XS 37877]. LSO, Batiz, with (i) Ara, (ii) Cohen.

"(Robert Cohen's)... spirited articulation of the opening ostinato idea and the lively Zapateado rondo finale is matched by Enrique Batiz, who secures playing of fire and temperament from the LSO, all its members sounding as if they had just returned from a holiday in the Spanish sunshine."

(The Complete Penguin Stereo Record and Cassette Guide 1985)

"... Enrique Batiz, as always, has the orchestra brilliantly in hand. The digitally mastered sound is very natural, and the pressing is exemplary. This disc is a winner in every respect."

(Richard Freed; "Rodrigo: Two Unfamiliar Concertos"; Stereo Review, June 1982)

"Enrique Batiz conducts the London Symphony Orchestra in warmly appealing accounts of what are at times dazzling virtuoso performances."

(Too Popular Barber; Post Classical; South Wales Evening Post. Saturday, May 22, 1982)

"What one gets here is a very neoclassical, quasi-Bocherini cello concerto in Classical Mode," and a vaguely Baroque Violin Concerto "Of Summer." Both are light, entertaining pieces which avoid bravura for bravura's sake-each charming rather than overpowering in their use of Spanish color. Performances are fine, as is the digital sound."

(Heuwell Tircuit; "A Symphonic Holein-One"; Classical Records." The San Francisco Chronicle, May 2, 1982)

"There's no mistaking the quality of the 1949 Concierto en Modo Galante and it is given a rich performance by young cellist Robert Cohen, supported by the LSO under Mexican conductor Enrique Batiz."

(Adrian Wood-house; Classics, 1981)

RODRIGO, volume 4

RODRIGO: Concierto Madrigal; Per la Flor del Iliri Blau; Musica para un Jardin. Alfonso Moreno, Deborah Mariotti (guitars, in Concierto); London Symphony Orchestra; Enrique Batiz, conductor.

"Rodrigo's Guitars"

"Enrique Batiz, conducting the London Symphony, continues his most attractive survely of Rodrigo's lesser known works on a third album and continues his coverage of the guitar concertos with Alfonso Moreno and. . . Deborah Mariotti."

(Richard Freed; Stereo Review, August 1984)

"Originally written for a French duo, first recorded by a Spanish duo (Philips) then by a Spanish/Belgian one (DG), the Concierto Madrigal now has its third excellent treatment, this time by a Mexican/Swiss pairing-and for the first time in digital. Ivan March rated the first two issues on a par when reviewing the latter, though giving the palm to the ASMF and I can only extend this judgement to cover all three. The digital recording sharpens the cutting edge of Rodrigo's piping woodwind but leaves the guitars occasionally underbalanced, though not disturbingly so. The choice finally rests with the coupling... and in neither case is the coupled version clearly the one to have. Here Side 2 has two previously unrecorded orchestral works of Rodrigo, a contribution to the late recognition triggered off by his eightieth birthday in 1981 and devotedly aided by Batiz/EMI. Per la Flor del Iliri Blau is a symphonic poem based on a Valencian legend, roughly traceable through the poem itself, given in the sleevenote. The other work is a collated, orchestral version of four 'four-seasonal' cradle songs originally for piano. Rodrigo, the last representative of Spain's late romanticism, is a vivid orchestrator who can always come up with a good, broad tune; it could well be these attractive and finelyplayed echoes of the past which decide the Concierto Madrigal you will put on your shelf but, for that work itself, you can't go wrong whichever one you settle for."

(J.D.; Gramophone, November 1983)

RODRIGO, volume 5

RODRIGO: Concierto Serenata; Nancy Allen (harp); Concierto Pastoral; Lisa Hansen (flute); Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; Enrique Batiz, conductor.

"The blind composer Joaquin Rodrigo is a master of the well crafted, mildly dissonant realm of "popular modernism", and although some 20 years separate these two works (the one for harp dates from 1956 and is dedicated to Nicanor Zabaleta; the Concierto Pastoral, comissioned by James Galway, was premiered in 1978), their essential sibling resemblance in intact and unmistakable. Both use other instruments in the orchestra "trumpets, oboes, and so forth" to create an ongoing dialogue not unlike that of the concerto grosso of Baroque origin; both are crisp in rhythm, sparely astringent in texture (there is a trace of Stravinskyan neoclassicism as well). We have fine versions of both these pieces by their dedicatees, but this excellent coupling by two exceptionally adroit "younger generation" artists is beautifully reproduced and brilliantly played ógraceful, incisive, humorous, and refined. And here, Angel's pressing is impeccable."

(Harris Goldsmith; Records; Keynote Magazine, October 1986)

Star rating: Recording of special significance.

"In the case of Spanish composer Joaquin Rodrigo it is time to take a break from the 'Concierto Aranjuez". An ideal occasion is provided by this charming and entertaining new collection. Zabaleta and Galway are the dedicatees of the respective concertos. The women soloists presented command total mastery of the difficult solo parts. Regrettably EMI leaves them anonymously credited."

(Von Peter Cosse; FonoPrisma; Fono Forum; October 1986. (Translation of Review in Fonoforum)

"Any fear that Rodrigo would join the roster of composers destined to be remembered by a single composition should be dispelled by a new record which features the composer of the famed guitar concerto in concertos for harp and flute, supported by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Enrique Batiz. (EMI Digital EL 270360-1. Cassette available).

"This is facile, easily digested and winning music, and Rodrigo displays great skill in devising his orchestral colour palate, so that the Concierto Sere nata for Harp (composed for Zabaleta in 1956) offers an engaging blend of woodwinds and string playing with a fine sheen.

"The Concierto Pastoral for Flute demands the ultimate in technical agility, as one might expect in music composed expressly for James Galway in 1978, and both works display arresting rhythms, with a nicely spiced harmonic idiom to beguile the ear.

"The orchestral participation is excellent and the soloists fully adequate, although neither Nancy Alien, the versatile harpist, nor Lisa Hansen, a cleartoned and technically brilliant flautist, are quite in the same league as the dedicates Nevertheless, a record of real charm."

(String of triumphs for Rodrigo; Classical; The Belfast Times: September 9, 1986)

". . . As to which British orchestra and Hispanic conductor prefer in the flute concerto, it's a tossup; what is apparent is a certain recessive "muddled" quality to the bulk of Batiz's players (quasi-soloists excluded), even though in the harp concerto tutti passages are apt to drown the harp."

(J.D.; Fanfare; July/ August 1986)

"I think neither of these new performances is quite so distinctive as those by their respective dedicatees, but the coupling is ideal. . . Batiz is at his finest, providing highly idiomatic and sympathetic accompaniments."

(I. M.; Gramophone, July 1986)

* (i) Concierto Pastoral; (ii) Concierto Serenata.

*** HMV Dig. EL 270363-1/4 [Ang. DS/4DS 38278]. (i) Hansen, (ii) AUen, RPO, Batiz.

"These two attractive concertos are already available in first-class performances by their commissionees - see above and below. However, neither coupling is particulary advantageous (although both issues are economically priced), while the pairing on this superbly recorded new HMV digital disc seems ideal. If neither performance is quite as distinctive of those of Galway and Zabaleta respectively, both are spontaneously affectionate and full of engaging touches from the two soloists and the RPO is in sparklingly refined form under Enrique Batiz. In the Concerto for Harp, Nancy Allen is rather reticent - she nearly disappears altogether in the first-movement cadenza. But she beguiles the ear with her gentleness, and Batiz scales down his support to produce a successful partnership in this winning pie"e (the very opening, with its cascade of trickling notes, is wonderfully inviting). In terms of sheer bravura. Lisa Hansen is not quite James Galway's equal in the Flute Concerto, but she is a fine player and is particularly sympathetic in the slow movement. The flawless recording, beautifully balanced and immaculately clear, is enhanced by the silent surfaces of the LP; the cassette is second best, with the freshness of the upper range slightly blunted in the XDR iron-oxide transfer; this needed chrome stock, because of the resonant acoustic. We look forward to the CD."

(The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs, Cassettes and LPs 1986)

Rodrigo, volume 5

Rodrigo: Concierto-Serenata, Concierto Pastoral; Nancy Allen (Harp). Lisa Hansen (Flute), Royal Philharmonie Orchestra, Enrique Bátiz.

EMI 27 0363 (l S 30) DDA

"Es lohnt sich, im Falle des spanischen Komponisten Joaquin Rodrigo einmal mit dem ,,Concierto de Aranjuez" zu pausieren. Dazu eignet sich diese Zusammenstellung mit charmanter Unterhaltungsmusik. Zabaleta und Galway sind die Widmungsträger der beiden Konzerte. Die ausführenden Damen bleiben den schwierigen Soloparts kaum etwas schuldig. Leider werden sie von der EMI Redaktion anonym behandelt."

(Von Peter Cosse; FonoPrisma; Fono Forum. Oktober 1986)

RODRIGO, volume 6

RODRIGO: Concierto Heroico; Jorge Federico Osorio (piano); Cinco Piezas Infantiles; Soleriana; Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; Enrique Batiz, conductor.

"As far as I can discover, this is the first recording of the Concierto Heroico to be published, which seems extraordinary considering the composer's popularity.

". . .Rodrigo paints a vivid impressionistic portrait of a driven, striving and ultimately victorious soul. The writing for both piano and orchestra is bold and at times deliberately crude. The effect is spare and earthy, quite stunningly effective. Batiz and Osorio produce a suitably assertive sound which never loses its narrative pace. Osorio is sure-fingered and plays with fire and sensitivity. EMI's engineers have completed the mood with a dramatic, expansive recording. There are some stunning bass notes from the piano and tympani, quite impressive in their power and control, and the sense of a hall spread out behind the orchestra is xcellent.

"In total contrast are the five children's pieces. Here the writing is moretypical lush and touchingly delicate, almost Elgarian. More innocent heroics are portrayed in "Shouting, Tumult' and there is a delicious sleepy piece called "After a Story'. Soleriana is a tribute to the 18th. century Catalan composer, and the mimicry of the gracious elegance of the times breathes affection and charm. The variety and mastery displayed on this disc made me reassess my attitude to this composer. Recommended. [A:l]."

(Sue Hudson; Hi-Fi News and Record Review; England, April 1987)

 

"Even the composer's greatest admirers -and I count myself among them- could hardly make out a strong case for the Concierto Heroico for piano and orchestra. It was conceived in the early 1930s, but then set aside and apparently the early sketches were lost. Rodrigo returned to it in 1939 and by then his conception had become "a vast poem, abstract action in which the piano would be protagonist", with its four movements written "under the signs of the Sword, the Spur, the Cross and the Laurel, respectively". But whatever qualities are inherent in Rodrigo's art (and in my view they are many, diverse, and consistently underrated by critics who prefer the "barbed wire' school of twentieth-century writing) heroicism is not among them. Thus, the emphases of the first movement (opening with a fanfarelike main theme) quickly become garrulous and the finale is hectoring. The second movement, a scherzo (marked Allegro molto ma pesante which the performers characterize splendidly), goes on too long. The best movement is the Largo which, with its "Sing of the Cross" epithet, seeks a medieval ambience and is effectively atmospheric, harmlessly quoting the fanfare theme from the opening movement to add a degree of bite.

"The Cinco piezas infantiles show the composer more or less back on his usual form. They are perhaps not so indelible as Bizet's Jeux D'Enfants, with which they have something in common, but they have character and charm and the second, "Despues de un cuento" ("After a story") with its flute solo, is a nice little miniature. The two neoclassical evocations of Soleriana are slight but pleasant. The performances troughout are full of character with Jorge Federico Osorio making the very most of the not especially rewarding piano part of the Concierto and Enrique Batiz securing the most vivid playing from the RPO. The recording too, is bright, clear and realistic."

(I.M.; Gramophone, December 1986)

RODRIGO: The Three Guitar Concertos: Concierto de Aranjuez. Concierto para una Fiesta. Fantasía para un Gentilhombre. Alfonso Moreno – guitar. The State of Mexico Symphony Orchestra, Enrique Bátiz.

“Played with spectacular virtuosity”

Gramophone

THE RODRIGO EDITION; Complete orchestral works of Joaquin Rodrigo, Royal Philharmonic, London Symphony, Orquesta del Estado de Mexico, Enrique Batiz
EMI classics CDZD 63435 1980-85, 304:34 (4 CDs) * ** *

Something strange and wonderful happened to impressionism as it crossed the Pyrenees. The languid Gallic spirit was infused with that exotic blend of Europe and the Middle East known as the Spanish soul, and the results were unique in the annals of music. Much of this sound already is at home in the popular mind, like Joaquin Rodrigo's guitar masterpieces Concierto de Aranjuez and Fantasia para un gentilhombre. The rest of Rodrigo remains to be' discovered, and this new collection of the 93-year-old composer's complete orchestral works conducted by Enrique Batiz makes this discovery one of the most welcome treasures of the quincentennial celebration of Hispanic cultures.

Alfonso Moreno has the toughest job here, playing the works everyone knows and every major guitarist has recorded. He turns out to be quite a find in his own right: His reading of the 1939 Aranjuez may not be as unabashedly virtuosic as, say, John Williams', but it's attractive and at times heroic. The guitar articulation is clean, noble, and rhythmically alert. Even more exciting is the little-known 1952 Concerto serenata, a haunting piece for harp and orchestra that shows off the extraordinary talents of harpist Nancy Alien. It's a lovely vision of 18th century Madrid glimpsed through contemporary eyes, a score that deserves to be better known.

The Concierto pastoral was commissioned by James Galway, whose exuberance and golden tone are not matched in this new recording by flutist Lisa Hansen. Still, Maestro Batiz's tempos are thrilling, particularly in the alternating 3/4 and 4/4 time signatures, as flute and oboe flirt openly.
The highlights of the program consist of several virtually unknown pieces that have no competition on disc. The 1933 Concierto heroico for piano and orchestra is as aggressive as a steamy flamenco show, loud and hot and tough to resist. The summery 1943 Concierto de estio for violin hints at the same romantic appropriation of the baroque that seduced French jazz from Michel Legrand to the Swingle Singers. Flamenco again is in the foreground of the 1949 Concierto en modo galante, which closes with a sizzling dance for cello and orchestra. The Concierto Andaluz, commissioned for the Romero Quartet in 1967, is a loving tribute to Andalusian folk music, as is the delicate 1934 For the Blue Lilly.
There are many other scores here, less ambitious but no less beautiful. Not long ago, it was unfashionable to think of Rodrigo's music as anything more than orchestral pop with a Spanish accent. As
audiences return "without embarrassment to tonal music, the time may be ripe for a long overdue second look.

Octavio Roca, CD Revies, January 1993

 

©Ponce Concertos - Piano and Orchestra; Violin and Orchestra. Concierto del sur. Henryk Szeryne (vn), Alfonso Moreno (gtr); Jorge Federico Osorio (pf); Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, State of Mexico Symphony Orchestra / Enrique Batiz.
ASV © CD CDDCA952 (78 minutes: ODD). Item marked - from CDDCA916 (1/96) HMV EL270151-1
Concierto del sur - selected comparison: Williams, LSO, Previn (10/72") (SONY) M2K44791

Manuel Ponce (who died nearly half a century ago_ in his mid-sixties) has been called the "father of Mexican musical nationalism"; but in his Piano Concerto (his first sizeable work) there is little, it any, trace of local colour. This is a showy, conventional late-romantic work of the barnstorming variety, and despite a great deal of bravura piano writing - Ponce himself was the soloist in its first performance in 1912 - its sound and fury do not amount to much musically. Osorio (who made an agreeable record of Ponce's solo piano music for ASV, 5/95) is suitably exhibitionist: the orchestral sound is a bit shrill.

By 1941, the year of the Concierto del sur, Ponce's style had changed and matured, he having meanwhile studied in Paris with Dukas; and this is one of the best guitar concertos in the repertory (though far outdone in popularity by a much inferior work by a composer 20 years his junior); its Mexican character is evident in the festive finale. Moreno's performance is strong in urgency and intensity though, remembering John Williams's classic recording, it could have had a greater sense of poetry in the Andante.

Ponce's only other concerto, that for violin two years laid', is his best-known thanks to the championship of Szeryng, its dedicatee, and through the inclusion in its melancholy second movement of references to his famous song Estrellita (whose rights he had unwittingly surrendered to an astute publisher). Szeryng plays the virtuoso solo part -which includes a lengthy cadenza, as does the guitar concerto - brilliantly, but in the acoustic of the Mexican hall used for this mid-1980s recording the tuttis are somewhat thick and rowdy.

LS, Gramophone, August 1996