Track Listing

1. Danse macabre, symphonic poem in G minor, Op. 40
2. The Sorcerer's Apprentice (L'apprenti sorcier), symphonic scherzo for orchestra
3. Espa�a, rhapsody for orchestra, also arranged for 2 pianos
4. Night on Bald Mountain (Noch' na L�soy gore), symphonic poem, edited by Rimsky-Korsakov
5. Prodan� nevesta (The Bartered Bride), opera, JB 1:100: Dance of the Comedians
6. Samson et Dalila, opera in 3 acts, Op. 47: Bacchanale
7. La Gioconda, opera in 4 acts: Dance of the Hours
8. Hungarian Dances (21) for orchestra, WoO 1: Hungarian Dance No.5
9. The Red Poppy, ballet, Op. 70: Russian Sailors' Dance
10. Ritual Fire Dance, for orchestra (from 'El Amor brujo')
11. The Comedians, suite for small orchestra, Op. 26: Galop

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #70045 in Music
• Released on: 1999-05-18
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered

Customer Reviews

Fanstastic? Oh yes! indeed!!
No excessive motion, no exaggerated sound effect, just steadily well-balanced performance. This is the way Ormandy has always been towards his recording. Nevertheless, sound quality is superme, bold and full of layer.

This album, seemingly designed to appetite the followers of "The Glorious Sound of Philadelphia" like the delighted dessert over the dinner. Amusing and joyful. Instead of giving you a blast of your mind, Ormandy let the music played just by the way it should sound. Simply enjoying and easy listening. Like the sun shine over the meadow.

Personally, I enjoy every title in this CD. Highly recommend: Danse macabre, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, España, rhapsody for orchestra, Night on Bald Mountain & Ritual Fire Dance

Fun!
Ormandy and the Philadelphians--who are truly fantastic in these performances--give the listener an aural and musical treat.

Many of these performances are superlative, and the engineering is excellent. While Ormandy could let his players get a little sloppy when he was recording for RCA, such is not the case here.

Danse Macabre is wonderfully well done, but the other Saint-Saens item, Bacchanale from Samson and Deliah, has one of the most overwhelming climaxes I've ever heard.

Espana seems to be the one item that isn't totally successful, IMHO, but not unsatisfying either. On the other hand, the Sorcerer's Apprentice is very well done, as is the Night on Bald Mountain (although here a little more roughness is called for).

The Philadelphia violas really let you luxuriate in the de Falla and the Gliere. And what a delight to have some other bon-bons, especially the Dances of the Comedians and Hours.

Worth every penny!

Ormandy At A Late-Era Peak
This CD is a compilation of sorts--a recording of personal orchestral favorites that the Philadelphia Orchestra and its legendary music director Eugene Ormandy made in 1971 and 1972 for RCA.

While the eleven works on the CD are often thought of as "pops stables" or "musical bon-bons", Ormandy and his orchestra nevertheless displayed a great deal of professionalism in giving these works a great deal of new energy. Of particular note are the three works--Mussorgsky's "Night On Bald Mountain"; Ponchielli's "Dance Of The Hours"; and Dukas' "The Sorcerer's Apprentice"--which the orchestra performed under Leopold Stokowski in 1940 for Disney's classic movie FANTASIA. Ormandy breathes new life into these orchestral warhorses. The performance of Saint-Saens' ghoulish "Danse Macabre" is appropriately spooky. And the much-covered "Dance Of The Comedians" by Smetana, and Brahms' Hungarian Dance No. 5 are also pulled off brilliantly. This is Ormandy at his late-era peak, and is essential to understanding how he bought this orchestra to the position as one of the world's best, a standing it has held ever since FANTASIA.