This disc need not detain us long. Tjeknavorian brings little if any passion to the love music, while in the more dramatic moments, such as 'Tybalt's Death', he utterly fails to convey either the score's tragic import or raw emotional power. Although the Armenian Philharmonic does boast some fine wind soloists, its strings are scrawny, scrappy, and tentative.
AS&V's claustrophobic, tinny, and periodically distorted recording is punctuated by an annoying buzz in the quietest passages. Notes are microscopic and occasionally misleading. While he doesn't include quite as much of this great score, Ančerl's arresting single disc of Roméo & Juliet highlights (Supraphon) remains the uncontested standard for this repertory.
Copyright © 1996, Tom Godell