NAXOS Complete Symphonies, The (Wordsworth, Swedish Co) [34cd]

Sinfonia Finlandia Jyväskylä - Patrick Gallois - Northern Chamber Orchestra - Nicholas Ward - Orchestre de Chambre de Cologne - Helmut Müller-Brühl - Toronto Chamber Orchestra - Kevin Mallon... Review With the symphonies, it is a bit of a mixed bag. There is no getting away from the fact that several, especially the early ones, are hastily cobbled together and do not reflect much inspiration. However, even weak tea can be made more palatable with an enthusiastic and imaginative execution. My favourite among the half-dozen ensembles sharing this enterprise are the Toronto Chamber Orchestra ledby Kevin Mallon, with Helmut Mueller Bruehl's Cologne Chamber Orchestra a close second. Yet none of the others even where drawn from Naxos earlier releases is less than adequate, and all benefit from superb reproduction. --Music Web International