Um! Energetic but ultimately bland conducting by Jaarvi allied to an over-enthusiastic use of spot-lighting and reverb and a poor balance of the sound-stage add up to an instantly disappointing and forgettable survey of Saint-Saën favourites. A highlight if there is one is Trul Mørks performance in the First Cello Concerto which has genuine moments of inspiration but it is not enough to force a recommendation of the disc as a whole.

This listener is growing increasingly frustrated by Jaarvi's Pick & Mix programming of the works of individual composers which he seems to reel off at the drop of a hat. Sadly it is proving to be quantity over quality, which is a shame as this orchestra is far more accomplished than it is allowed to be with this kind of churn-em-out repertory and a visiting conductor. Who is to blame for this state of affairs - Chandos, Jaarvi or some modern consumers who lack the ability to sit and listen to music for more than a few minutes at a time - is anybody's guess.

"75 minutes of wonderful music making" per reviewer John Broggio
"Energetic but ultimately bland conducting" and "an instantly disappointing and forgettable survey of Saint-Saën favourites" per commenter hiredfox

"The sound is as rich and clear as one has come to expect from the Chandos team in this hall" per reviewer John Broggio
"an over-enthusiastic use of spot-lighting and reverb and a poor balance of the sound-stage" per commenter hiredfox

JUST WHOM ARE WE TO BELIEVE??

I guess Euell your own ears will be the best judge in the end but agree such diverse opinions are perplexing to a potential buyer.

If it helps - and you may recall this from the good old days of the SA-CD.net Forum - I listen in HQ stereo in a dedicated room using a SA7-S1 with Paganini master reference clock, Music First Reference Passive pre-amps, Krell FPB 450Mcx mono-blocks and Martin Logan Summit X speakers. My default position (what pleases me) on which all my assessment are made is what I hear in concert halls from purely acoustic instruments in their true positions and perspectives.

If you are looking for a realistic portrayal of concert hall sound then go for me! Others may well have different criteria and goals for assessing SQ, it is after all what pleases them.

Happy New Year and it's good to know you are still here!

"I listen in HQ stereo ..."

The recording was multichannel and John's review was for the multichannel portion of the disc. In my experience listening in stereo (and this includes headphones) engenders more a focus on the abstraction of reproduction than an involvement in the music-making as a whole. In other words with multichannel you're more likely to be swept into the experience rather than worrying about minutiae. Though the catalogue of recordings today is predominately stereo I encourage listening in multichannel where available.

Also, there is no place for egos here. Audio is, and always has been, a subjective hobby pursued (I would presume) for individual pleasure and enlightenment, each to their own priorities and budget.

Referring to Steven Best's comment, I'm not sure what distinction is being drawn between "abstraction" re. stereo listening and "involvement" re. multichannel listening. I can accept that multichannel may well be, in general, MORE involving than stereo, but stereo listening is not uninvolving and certainly not abstract, at least my experience. It could be that, as regards this particular recording, the quality of the sound is so far inferior in stereo as to have precipitated hirdfox's negative observations on the sound. Or, as he concedes, he wants a recording to resemble as much as possible a live performance without spotlighting, etc., which may not correspond to the expectations of others.

We can certainly accept as well that two individuals may have quite different takes on the quality of the conducting. And, that is precisely what we have here. In no other field of artistic endeavor are critics so often coming from disparate directions than in music.

So, while I found it amusing to point out the opposite takes of John Brogio and hiredfox, it cannot be gainsaid that there is anything unnatural going on. We all find it more useful, of course, when opinions are more or less uniform.

I didn't find either of those aspects that frustrated Mr Fox; I've previously stated when I've disappointed by recordings from this conductor - to these ears, those traits were missing here.

To each his own!