Symphonie Fantastique

A splendid performance finally receives a noteworthy playback experience. For anyone wondering just how enveloping the quad recording format of years past could really be, look and listen no further than this new Pentatone release. The warm bloom of Symphony Hall provides, an ideal environment for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, (especially the brass and percussion,) which are spectacularly captured by the DG engineers. Together, all concerned manage to drive the final movement of this piece with an emotional intensity, (IMO,) not heard since the RCA Living Stereo days of Charles Munch or Fritz Reiner in Chicago a decade earlier. Occasionally a good performance is enhanced by a great recording - the later apparently not realized in DG's initial two channel "Symphonie fantastique" release which may explain such lukewarm reviews as "lacks something in sheer biting commitment," from the 1977 Penguin Stereo Record Guide, Second Edition. But as they say, that was then and this is now. I remember Maestro Ozawa from his all too brief stay in San Francisco and his, (bring them to their feet,) flair for dramatic orchestral showpieces. For those wishing to experience this phenomenon, here is your chance.

I concur heartily with the other positive reviews here on Amazon as to Ozawa's merits in this piece. I'd like to offer an additional comment regarding the PentaTone SACD sound.I had some reservations regarding PentaTone's remastering of Ozawa's Ravel disc, recently released on SACD. But I have nothing but praise for this one. Listening in two-channel (stereo) only, I compared the SACD to DG's 1991 "Galleria" CD (I have not heard any subsequent DG releases of this recording). In comparison, the Galleria CD sounds as if the original master tapes were not used (although I suspect that they were). The SACD is strikingly cleaner and more refined. The acoustic has also been substantially cleaned up and defined on the SACD. The CD, in addition to a slight rawness on brass, had a rather muddy, ill-defined acoustic space. The SACD retains all the glories of Symphony Hall but removes the mush. It's still warmly reverberant and full, but now the actual space is defined, clearly placing the orchestra within it. The entire recording sounds so much more real and 3-dimensional as a result. It sounds as if the Boston Symphony is laid out right in front of the listener! It's that good.This disc holds much promise for future PentaTone releases in this series. My mouth waters at the announcement of Tilson Thomas's Boston Rite of Spring later this year. If PentaTone works the same magic on that as they did on this one, it will be a religious experience. Even in two-channel, this SACD is spectacular. I can only image how excellent it is in 4-channel.

Let me preface my review with the following: I mainly listen to rock and metal, with a pinch of classical thrown in. I bought this sacd based on the reputation of Pentatone for great QUAD sound on their classical recordings. I won't comment on the individual performance, because I probably couldn't tell a good one from a mediocre one, but in terms of fidelity and discrete surround channel separation, the recording is excellent. And the musical content is extremely enjoyable; I can't stop listening to this. There are sweeping melodic pieces with wide dynamics (tracks 1 & 3), a beautiful waltz (track 2), and my favorite, track 5 (aka the theme from "The Shining") which is dark and foreboding. If you don't know much about classical music (like me), but want to take a chance on something new, this is the disc to get (especially if you're set-up for surround sound!)

Slightly improved sound from the original DG release, a bigger soundstage. Otherwise a great performance, one of Ozawa's very few good recordings. By the way, this performance is almost indistinguishable from Munch's interpretation---explaining why it's so good.

This has gotten good reviews and I was needing a CD of the work. I find it a very laid back (boring) account of a very energetic symphony.

This is an old recording now but it remains a very solid choice for this work. Ozawa chose well judged tempi and a conventional approach but it was delivered with aplomb and the Boston SO perform wonderfully (to be expected from that great orchestra). This is old style big orchestra Berlioz on modern instruments, before it became fashionable to go down the HIP route and all the better for it. As performances go this one has always been a safe recommendation and it remains so.The more interesting aspect of this particular release is the re-mastering and quadrophonic version. Pentatone have done a very competent and sympathetic job and rejuvenated the quadrophonic tapes, the result really is a revelation. Sound is detailed and blemish free, but not dry or analytical in fact it shames a few modern recordings. The quadrophonic mix gives a genuinely much more immersive experience which feels very natural and without the rather artificial feel of some multi-channel recordings. Note however that to access the quadrophonic mix you need an SACD player and also a multi-channel amplifier and speaker set up. The disc is a dual layer hybrid and so people with CD players and conventional stereo set ups still get a top class stereo master.Given the quality of the performance and recording, and the inclusion of a quadrophonic mix this is really a bit of a bargain and fully deserves a 5* recommendation.

Boston Symphony Orchestra always deliver stunning performances

Tolle Einspielung und klanglich (Multichannel SACD) hervorragend remastered, wie von diesem Label gewohnt! Die Anlage sollte allerdings in der Lage sein dies wiedergeben zu können. So sind klangliche Beurteilungen, die nur anhand von, wenn vielleicht auch guten, CD-Spielern gefällt werden, mit Vorsicht zu genießen. Hier sollte es schon ein SACD Player, der auch Multichannel fähig ist sein!

Aunque es una grabación antigua, tiene muy buena presencia. La versión de Munch es muy vigorosa, tan solo decae algo en el último movimiento. Igualmente excelente versión del Harold.

Die Charles Münch Version gehört unbedingt ins CD Sortiment französischer Musik. Selbst wenn man schon drei oder vier andere Einspielungen hat, ist man von dieser CD angenehm überrascht.

Für das Alter, 1973, hervorragende Aufnahme undsehr gute Umsetzung auf SACD.Schöner, warmer, samtiger Klang,tolles Futter für gehobene Hifi Anlagen!

bella esecuzione e bella registrazione. Da comprare assolutamente cosi come tutti SACD della PENTATONE che ho comprato fino ad oggi. Una rivelazione!.

小澤ボストン響コンビの幻想である。テンポはミュンシュよりはゆっくりだがそれでも速めで、マルチチャンネル録音のマスター由来の音場感がいい。中でも第5楽章の太鼓の鳴りの迫力は最高である。SACD化は大成功だと思う。ミュンシュのSACD持ってるなんて方でも購入する意味のある盤だと思う。

幻想交響曲の好演は案外少ない。spotifyで聴いて、気にいって買った。小澤はボストンと余程相性が良かったのだろう、録音状態も非常に良い。あえて高いSACDを選択し、CDよりも一段良い音を期待したのだが、CDとの有意差があまり感じられなかった。演奏自体は良いのですが、SACDの良さがあまりでていないので4つ星にしました。

アナログながらバスドラがどどどーんと力強い。若き日の小澤さんの演奏もいいんじゃないか。４ｃｈの効果は今ひとつかな。

高校の時にLPで擦り切れるまで聴いた音源。初めて聴いた幻想でありました。その後、CDで再販されたものを持っていました。幻想交響曲を聴くときはいつも手が伸びるCDで、けだるく退廃的な音楽の雰囲気が若き小澤さんの力まない解釈とマッチし、さらにボストン響のやわらかい弦の響きとがコラボして大好きな音源でした。コメントがよかったので購入しましたところ、びっくり。生まれ変わったというよりも別物という感じ。こうまで変わるものかと驚かされる内容で、奥行き、空気感が素晴らしく臨場感たっぷりです。ヒスノイズもなくなりとても40年以上前の録音とは思えません。ペンタトーンさんありがとう。

Excellent