What You Hear Isn’t What You’ll Get

This is a graphic example of a bargain label taking on a full-priced label in a repertory staple and running them off the court.

Lopez-Cobos has built a magnificent orchestra in Cincinnati, but his recordings rarely lift off the pedestrian level (his Mahler Ninth being a glowing exception). True to form, in Rachmaninoff, there’s no urgency in the opening movement, nor in the Scherzo even at his galloping tempo, whereas Anissimov shapes things with more idiomatic feeling and a driving undercurrent. In the Adagio and Finale, the lush themes that launched a thousand film scores just lie there pleasantly under Lopez-Cobos, while Anissimov’s phrasing has a Tchaikovskyan ardor approaching that of the great EMI Andre Previn-London Symphony recording. Anissimov’s Irish orchestra stands up well against Cincinnati’s powerhouse, and Naxos’ sound actually has more luster, though Telarc is solidly superior in the big climaxes. And while Telarc adds a nice “Vocalise” to the deal, when you consider that its disc will set you back around 17 bucks whereas the Naxos costs about seven, it’s no contest.