I've yet to hear a less than competent performance from Alsop, and like her Brahms for Naxos, this is just fine—but the competition in this symphony is truly ferocious; on eMusic you have the superb Fricsay, along with Szell, Neumann and Paavo Jarvi (and that's just the cream); elsewhere Bernstein (arguably still the best of all), Kondrashin and Harnoncourt. You will not be disappointed, but there are far better performances out there.
From MusicWeb International (www.musicweb-international.com): This is a wonderful disk. Alsop directs a straight forward account, pointing the many felicitous details of orchestration, enjoying the humour of the waltz episode, building a marvellous climax in the middle, with the lugubrious trombones to the fore, and generally making the music smile. The fugal finale is especially well handled, the various strands entering clearly and precisely. This performance is a triumph! The recording is very bright and clear, with a wide perspective on the full orchestra – it especially captures the brass beautifully. The balance is superb and the dynamic range huge.
This recording is a BBC Music Magazine Disc of the Month in the July 2008 issue, with 6 out of 6 stars for both Performance and Sound. Reviewer Jan Smaczny writes: "It is rare to be able to say that a performance forces one to listen to a work anew, but this is exactly what Alsop's reading achieves. Excellently recorded and with an elegant and witty performance of the "Symphonic Variations" as a makeweight, this is a superb issue all around."
A performance of the "New World" Symphony which just about defines mediocrity: serviceable in all ways, and not bad enough to make me turn it off, but not very good either. The introduction of the first movement strikes me as rather insensitive. For a great performance of this symphony on eMusic, turn to Vaclav Neumann and the Czech Philharmonic, or Stephen Gunzenhauser with the Slovak Philharmonic. Alternatively, and even better, get yourself the CD version conducted by Charles Mackerras. All are much more rewarding investments than this. (Though the Symphonic Variations are neat, and fairly hard to find.)
