The first movement is one of the most exhilarating in any 20th Century symphony, and all its power and propulsive energy is unleashed in Sir Colin’s performance. The LSO cover themselves in glory with crisp rhythms and virtuosic playing from every department.
The Mail on Sunday - 30 April 2006
No-one has exposed its troubled heart with greater care than Sir Colin. The sound is terrific don’t hesitate!"
Classical CD of the Month
Hi-Fi News - April 2005
The whole performance, taken from concerts at the Barbican late last year, has a power and eloquence and tragic intensity that show the orchestra, their conductor, Colin Davis, and the work at their splendid best. Even André Previn’s 1966 account wilts alongside this dazzler
The Times - 30 April 2006
Yet again, the London Symphony Orchestra has scored a hands-down success for their in-house record label, LSO Live. Sir Colin has long been a champion of English music, but even by his standards this is a vital performance. The LSO grapple with Walton’s technically demanding score with apparent ease It’s one of their strongest releases yet
MusicOMH.com - 22 April 2006
The playing is staggeringly impressive - this orchestra is quite incapable of playing a wrong note - and Sir Colin’s reading is astounding he shapes the structure with unerring mastery. Sir Colin demonstrates what great conducting in this work can achieve. He holds the orchestraon a tight rein, but never to the detriment of expressivity, even in the Scherzo, and when he gives the LSO its head the effect is electrifying. What is also surely beyond dispute isthat this is a performance that will stand the test of time for generations to come"
International Record Review - June 2006
Editor’s Choice
Gramophone - August 2006
Listeners CD of the Year
BBC Radio 3 - CD Review
The Best Walton Symp 1 ... by far! Excellent, modern digital recording + superb sound engineering (e.g., no annoying live-audience noises/distractions); performance best by far: e.g., superior controlled pace, tempo/rhythm/meter, acceleration, timing, dynamics.
K Hashmi
My Wish List
