Nott M1

[akiralx]

I really like this - it's similar to Zinman in the sense of both are relativlely lean toned but with plenty of crispness and no lack of heft, but I think the Nott is more imaginative in execution, e.g. in III. 

The closing pages are certainly thrilling with so much detail and sharpness of attack, if without the sheer weight of sound Bernstein and Abbado (II) deliver in their DG recordings.  Sonically it is as good as the Zinman (i.e. excellent) if not even better - I listened on SACD via the Stax earspeakers.

[Don]

I have not heard it, but saw it reviewed at ClassicsToday this AM. The reviewer was not real fond of the performance.

http://www.classicstoday.com/review.asp?ReviewNum=11816

[barry guerrero]

I also feel that the Gergiev got rather short-changed by Seckerson in Gramophone. Certainly, the atmospheric opening on the Gergiev M1 could have been better (Dave says the same thing for Nott), but the rest of the first movement went rather well. Perhaps the weakest section on the Gergiev was the trio section in the second movement. But I thought that Gergiev's slow movement and finale were pretty good. The main problem was simply that the microphones were too close to the two sets of timpani, as well as the hard and dry sound lent by the LSO's bass drum. But at least it was exciting. I still like the Zinman, which just strikes me as being very musical and "natural" sounding (with good balances). I think of the Zinman as the current day Kubelik (just for convenience sake, that is).

Barry