Here's another of those Westminster Gold reissues, this time Sir Adrian Boult and the "Philharmonic Promenade Orchestra" in Berlioz. This lp features some familiar, Beatrice and Benedict and Rob Roy with some not so often heard, Les francs-juges and King Lear.
Boult really scores a home run here. I don't think that Boult is one person that comes to mind as a conductor of Berlioz but based on this 50 minutes, he demonstrates a firm grasp and understanding of Berlioz's sound world. The PPO, really the LPO, plays extremely well with precision and flair and this record proves to be one of the better Berlioz recordings to come across my plate in quite a while.
Regarding Boult: only within the last year or so have I come to fully appreciate the art of Sir Adrian Boult. I find that Boult's records are, for the most part, consistently well prepared, intelligently interpreted, and scrupulously performed. In other words, buying Boult is a pretty good bet that you will get your money's worth and that a composer's intentions will be realized honestly and professionally. What is a shame is that for many today, Boult is pegged as a specialist in English composers when in reality, his record speaks strongly that he was persuasive in many idioms, styles, and genres.
Enjoy these mono FLACs of Boult and Berlioz!
DOWNLOAD
