Moonlight Swim

For their final release of new material recorded by Georg Solti, Decca presents Stravinsky's three mature symphonies (excluding the early Symphony in E-flat) which Solti performed and recorded with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Each of the three works was commissioned by an American orchestra: the Symphony of Psalms by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Symphony in C by Chicago, and the Symphony in Three Movements by the New York Philharmonic. The Chicago performances documented here pay fitting testament to both Stravinsky and to Solti, who molded the orchestra over his 22 years as music director.
The orchestra gave Solti clean, impeccably-played readings; balances are perfect throughout, allowing the intricate voicings to come through the sometimes-thick, sometimes-transparent textures. Above all, Stravinsky's symphonies require exceptional soloists who can blend into an ensemble which sounds as a single instrument, and the Chicago players accomplish this quite effectively here. Joined by the Chicago Symphony Chorus for the Symphony of Psalms, the orchestra captures the quasi-religious mood and cool atmosphere with ease.