Now this disc is absolutely superb, excellently recorded, as well as the performances are stunning, and the whole thing hit the spot, two very different Symphonies, i used to like the Third the best, but i'm being won over by the Fourth, again it was at the park i listened to this, Mendelssohn never sounded so good, there's a tendency to believe that if you listen to a Classical work enough times, that you'll get 'used' to it, it will get ordinary [familiarity breeds contempt right?], but this shocked me into the realization that old well worn works can still surprise me, i played this same disc last year [24th March 2011].
Jiri Belohlavek is a Czech Conductor, he's now 66, and he recorded this disc in 2006, the wonderful front cover photograph [by Ondrej Zacek] i guess is of a Scottish Loch, the lovely symmetry is there, and the almost monotone colours [grey & brown] give it a sparseness, the lettering is well placed, and the bright red logo gives it that splash of colour, i really like the whole thing.
The whole thing was fantastic, but if i had to pick a movement that ultra touched me, it would be the third,
Here's Petre Sbarcea conducting the third movement on YouTube.
