Jerzy Semkow, Walter Susskind, Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra - Rimsky=Korsakov: "Scheherazade", Smetana: "The Sold Bride - Import CD

Credits:

Jerzy Semkow, Walter Susskind, Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra

Description:

The VOX AUDIOPHILE EDITION is a 192kHz/24-bit digitization from the original master tapes by Mike Clements, a renowned engineer of our time, of the VOX master recordings made by Elite Recordings, renowned for their high quality recordings. The new edition features recordings by two of Slatkin's senior conductors at the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. Jerzy Semkow (1928-2014) was born in Poland. He studied with Serafin and Walter and was Mravinsky's assistant in Leningrad. Russian works are among his repertoire specialties, and this Scherzazade is a rewarding performance with good control of the orchestra and good singing from the solo instruments. Slatkin's predecessor as music director of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra was Semkov, and his predecessor was Czech-born Jusquint (1913-1980). The overture and orchestral works from "The Sold Bride" by his native composer Smetana were recorded in the final year of his tenure with the St. Louis Symphony, and when first released were included in the margins of a two-disc set of the complete "My Homeland" cycle. The rhythm and sound of this performance are lively.The recording engineer, Mark Aubort, says that he tried to record with as few microphones as possible, and the effect can be felt here in the breadth and depth of the soundstage and the excellent melding of the orchestra's resonances. The remastering has improved the signal-to-noise ratio and texture of both recordings, and the solo violin and harp in the Scheherazade recording are especially beautiful. Naxos Japan