Guild continues apace with their fine series of reissues dedicated to the underrated Fritz Busch now espousing a brilliant collection of orchestral pieces from the U.S. and Sweden in post-war performances of the highest caliber.
The Mendelssohn works are dapper and direct with the Overture "Fair Melusine" particularly appealing and recalling Schuricht's equally brilliant Decca version. I also greatly enjoyed the "Egmont" Overture with its thrilling final coda and the Wagner items are heart on sleeve in the best sense of the word. All is rounded off with a rousing "Midsummer Night Vigil" by Alfvén in a rare performance from Malmö.
The recordings have been sprucely cleaned up although they suffer from some opaque sound in places. Notes and presentation are up to the usual Guild standards so one really cannot but wholeheartedly recommend this excellent disc which is a must for historical buffs.
Copyright © 2010, Gerald Fenech.