'Gramophone magazine recently polled music critics, asking: What is the best orchestra in the world? The verdict: the Concertgebouw. Although this is billed as Volume 5, it is the ninth such huge compendium of that ensemble, three others being devoted exclusively to Mengelberg, van Beinum, Haitink, and Chailly. Each set has been magnificent.' ArkivMusic
Beginning in the 1930s, Dutch radio engineers have done superb work capturing the orchestra on discs, generally outclassing contemporary commercial recordings in each era. Each of the five volumes has been devoted to a decade of performances (the first went from 1935 to 1950). This set contains nearly 18 hours of music, averaging over 76 minutes per disc. The performances are presented in more or less chronological order, from January 1979 to November 1989.
Beginning in the 1930s, Dutch radio engineers have done superb work capturing the orchestra on discs, generally outclassing contemporary commercial recordings in each era. Each of the five volumes has been devoted to a decade of performances (the first went from 1935 to 1950). This set contains nearly 18 hours of music, averaging over 76 minutes per disc. The performances are presented in more or less chronological order, from January 1979 to November 1989.
