Scheherazade is the kind of music one used to associate with the Philadelphia Orchestra in its early heyday under Stokowski and certainly this new digital recording does not disappoint in terms of drama and excitement. Only in the violin solos is there any lack of glamour, for Norman Carol, the orchestra's leader, does not project the storyteller with the individuality of some versions. That said, this is a performance that makes an immediate impact on the listener from the forceful opening chords onwards. The first movement has great forward thrust, the electricity crackles and even if the very bright lighting brings a touch of crudeness to the upper range of the sound itself, the middle and lower region has striking depth and lustre. The degree of intensity slackens at the opening of the second movement and the bassoon soloist is given considerable latitude in the phrasing of his melody. Yet the adrenalin soon rises and at the brass entries brilliance is the keynote, almost to the point of blatancy. The gorgeous string theme of the slow movement is played with all the voluptuousness one expects from the Philadelphia strings and the race finale moves to a spectacular climax, confirming a reading that consistently generates a powerful momentum of the kind one experiences at a live performance. The glare is the upper range obviously reflects the resonant acoustic of the recording venue and I must express my own reservations about it, but the sound itself is richly coloured and full-blooded.
There is no doubt that this record makes a much more direct impact on the listener than the alternative Philips digital recording from Previn, which has a smoother, more natural, acoustic but is a spacious rather than an especially exciting reading. Beecham's HMV version still has a very special place in the catalogue: it is a performance of great panache and the sound is still fully acceptable. Haitink's record (also Philips) is nearly ten years old now but still remains a first choice on performance alone; it happily combines breadth, lyrical fervour and excitement and the recording is still impressive, even if the upper strings are perhaps wanting the last degree of richness by today's highest standards. For those putting sound quality foremost, Kondrashin's alternative Philips version with the Concertgebouw Orchestra remains the best buy. This is most satisfying musically and includes marvellous violin solos from Hermann Krebbers. It is also available on Compact Disc (400 021-2, 3/83).'