On Saturday, February 27, 1999 at 12:00:00 AM UTC-8, Brian Park wrote:
> Hello everyone,
> I very recently had a discussion with a friend about Rimsky-Korsakov's
> Scheherazade and two recordings of it that have become fairly popular among
> many music lovers: EMI's recording with Sir Thomas Beecham and his Royal
> Philharmonic Orchestra and RCA's recording with Fritz Reiner and the
> Chicago Symphony Orchestra. And if I remember correctly, whenever
> Scheherazade has come up in this newsgroup, both of these recordings have
> frequently been recommended.
> Both my friend and I agree between the two of us that both of these
> recordings are excellent...but definitely different. That much being said,
> she definitely prefers Beecham while I seem to be more partial to Reiner.
> And in all honesty, I think both of our opinions have to do with the fact
> that we "grew up" with the recordings we prefer and have been inevitably
> imprinted with a certain "bias."
> Some differences that I have noticed between these two wonderful
> performances include the following: The RPO in Beecham's recording seem
> more "spread out" in the recording spectrum compared to the Chicago
> Symphony and are thus able to achieve a fuller blend and sonority that
> seems to better fit for a piece like Scheherazade. I also noticed that the
> RPO play with a significantly greater degree of spontanteity and "freedom,"
> especially with the winds in the second movement. Overall, Beecham seems
> to allow much greater rhythmic flexibility than Reiner, who comes off as
> being a little bit more measured in his tempos and phrasing.
> On the flip side, however, the Chicago orchestra under Reiner's steady
> baton play with an almost unbelievable level of poise and precision, noting
> especially the percussion and brass in the very-exciting fourth movement.
> And while the sound on RCA sounds slightly more constricted, the overall
> balance within the orchestra (which was definitely one of Reiner's greatest
> strengths, IMO) allows for a greater sense of clarity in the flow of the
> melodic lines than whan I sensed from Beecham. And while Reiner's overall
> interpretation does not seem as sensitive, it is far from being cold or
> clinical. The third movement is especially beautiful and alert. Finally,
> I also felt that there was a greater sense of "continuity" between the
> movements from beginning to end with Reiner and thus the overall conception
> of the piece seemed more "holistic" than Beecham, who I found to be more
> inclined to highlight certain sections of the different movements and the
> various instrumental solos that are in the score. I have heard from
> another friend who studied bassoon under one of the CSO principals that
> Reiner and the orchestra recorded the entire piece in 1960 in only one,
> complete take. Perhaps this may offer some explanation for my last
> observation.
> In any case, I bring this topic up because I am curious as to what
> opinions others might have about this piece and these two recordings. As I
> mentioned earlier, I think that both of them are fabulous. But if anyone
> can share which one they would prefer and why, it would be informative for
> me as I continue to think this through. Thank you for your time!
>
> Sincerely,
> Brian Park

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsPOzMdg0vY