“…the crucial test is not so much the volume of the organ but the way in which the orchestral context of the symphony as a whole is established. Here Michael Stern impressively injects impetus into the first section’s sinewy fabric, alert to instrumental colour and the contrapuntal discipline and intrigue of the writing. The organ, making its muted first entry in the Adagio, is a 5,548-pipe Casavant Frères instrument, an integral part of Kansas City’s Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts where the recording was made, as indeed is Jan Kraybill who plays it… the organ in the finale asserts its grandeur without overwhelming the orchestral palette. … Even in a competitive market, this version has a distinct edge.” —Geoffrey Norris, Gramophone
Labels: Gramophone Magazine, Kansas City Symphony, KCSaintSaens, Review