Korsakov Scheherazade
What are the greatest classical orchestral recordings (and some more specific questions below)?
1. What is the best or most well-known recording of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Schéhérazade?
2. What is the best or most well-known recording of Berlioz’ Symphonie Fantastique?
3. What is the best or most well-known recording of Bizet’s incidental music to L’Arlésienne?
Thanks
rdenig has given you a very good answer. here is no such thing as ‘the best’ – only various people’s opinions.
It so happens that two of my opinion differ to rdenig’s:
1 Sheherazade (I have no idea why you have used a French transliteration of the title!): Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra conducted by Kirill Kondrashin (I have never heard a more convincing, well-argued and dramatic account of this work).
2 Symphonie fantastique: I go with rdenig here – the Marc Minkowski version with orginal instruments (hear the piece as Berlioz would have expected it to sound!)
3 L’Arlésienne: You really need to hear the full and original chamber version of the complete incidental music – the suites are nice lollipops but some of the music is spoilt in my opinion. Seek-out the incidental music played by the Toulouse Capitole Orchestra conducted by Michel Plasson.
Rimsky-Korsakov – Scheherazade (1/5)
