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5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Exacting Clarity, Execution, and Balance, 2 Oct 2002
By A Customer
There is no doubt that these recordings attest to greatness with their beautiful balancing and clarity of the sextet voices. The performances are noteworthy for providing the listener with complete appreciation of the sonorities and inner voicings especially in the intricacies of the Tchaikovsky. The fluidity, clarity, and oneness of ensemble are all evident and to be fully praised because these challenges are inherently demanding when preparing chamber music.It is interesting to listen to the juxtaposition of Sarah Chang, an American violinist from Dorothy Delay's prolific class, with the distinct sound of the Berlin Philharmonic players. The concept of sound is specific to each individual performer's unique training, background, environment, intellect, and ultimately persona (spirit and temperament). With that in mind it is very rewarding to listen to these performances where the soloistic, highly polished, poised, and clean performance trademarks of Chang are joined with the more natural, cerebral, mercurial, organic, and singing spontaneity of the Berlin players. Chang convinces the listener that she plays all the notes and exceptionally well in terms intonation, rhythm, articulations, and projection while the Berliners are joined in the nuances, tone color variations, flexibilities, and creation of sounds that result from natural, instinctive, and musical phrasing that is alive, rather than simply an effective following of the dynamic markings on the page. The Dvorak is especially revealing in this pairing of musical approaches and mentalities which again, reveals an impressive unity and clarity in chamber playing. Yet, the Slavic spirit and character elements of spontaneity, joy, rashness, and a primitive fire, pageantry, and peasantry are nevertheless absent. EMI Classics continues to deliver with the splendid results of their balancing and recording engineers, and Sarah Chang and the ensemble members fully deliver with highly "professional" performances. However, the final product fails to tell a story or intrigue the listener's spirit. The impressive accomplishments of the string playing are what dominate in capturing the listener's attention. While this is sufficient in meeting the requirements for making a "blueprint" recording or studying the technique of string and chamber playing, it is perhaps unrewarding when wanting to be moved by the act of communcation through a true musical experience. The Florence should evoke a twinkle in one's eye or a perceptable wit or a sense of vulnerability which fail to find voice in this interesting, impressive, but noncommunicative recording.
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