Vladimir Ashkenazy专辑介绍：Surprisingly, this Mendelssohn cycle has not yet been reviewed on Amazon! It's a collection that deserves more recognition than it gets, certainly more than some other, more widely available versions receive. \rI bought this collection shortly after buying the LSO/Abbado set, which had been for me a major disappointment. Abbado's line-shaping seemed entirely an intellectual exercise, not produced from any feeling or vision of the work. Moments of "attack" lacked expression, while the emotional moments did not "sing" as the melody seems to require. The whole seemed like a technically expert but ultimately mediocre attempt. \rFor comparison, I also had Karajan's versions of symphonies 3 and 4 (I have unfortunately not heard his symphony no. 5). Karajan's style is "blockbuster" Romantic, whereas Ashkenazy's Romanticism is lighter and more emotionally sensitive. They are both good in their own areas - a high-point of Ashkenazy's style is heard in the opening of the 3rd symphony, in which the strings seem literally to sigh. The orchestra has a rich sound and is recorded with some depth; the musicians themselves are more than competent for the material, and Ashkenazy's particular combination of concentrated energy and sincere feeling is always attractive and usually convincing. \rOf the main four symphonies in Ashkenazy's cycle, the weakest point is the last movement of the 5th symphony. First, a loud trumpet a few minutes in seems to put the whole orchestra off-balance for a few bars. More tellingly, the great fugal section is unconvincing, seemingly outside of Ashkenazy's Romantic "comfort zone". (To be honest, I have not heard a convincing performance of this section yet - suggestions are welcome!