Moved by Mysterious Forces
****
FAUST: “The Faust Symphony”
Berlin Philharmonic; Daniel Barenboim, conductor
Teldec Classics
Here is Barenboim at his most impressive. Liszt paints a huge sonic canvas, expressing Goethe’s play in an epic 70-minute symphony. It is a splashy but remarkably rich and inventive panorama, and Barenboim gives the score a commanding sense of majesty and drama. The scale is immense, yet the individual details of orchestration are lovingly revealed. The Berlin Philharmonic plays spectacularly for Barenboim, and Teldec’s engineers do a remarkable job of capturing the sheer visceral thrill of the orchestra’s sound.
*
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