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Performers,  Barbara Hendricks (Soprano), John Aler (Tenor), Håkan Hagegård (Baritone).
The reason to get this account of Carmina Burana is that it features one of the best solo trios--baritone Hakan Hagegard, tenor John Aler, and soprano Barbara Hendricks--ever assembled for a recording of the piece. Otherwise, the interpretation is fairly bland. The truth about Eduardo Mata is that he was a lightweight--a wealthy dilettante (and very nice man) whose abilities as a conductor were about three notches below the level of the orchestras with which he customarily worked. Here his inability to get disciplined playing from the Londoners is only a minor drawback, since Orff's score is so rough-hewn to begin with. Nor is it much of a problem that he loses control of the tempo in a few places, or that the men of the chorus are not always on top of the pitch or rhythm. What is more troubling is the overall lack of exuberance in the interpretation, the feeling of routine that permeates the reading. But oh, those solo numbers, they are really worth listening to! --Ted Libbey
After Ted Libbey's hatchet job of an editorial review above, I think this recording needs defending, lest serious collectors bypass it. So, Eduardo was a wealthy dilletante? So was Sir Thomas Beecham. It doesn't matter how a given artist gets started, it ultimately only matters what they have to offer. What Mata offers is a darker, less flashy version of Carmina Burana than what we usually get. Problems with pitch and tempo? I've never heard a recording of this piece yet which doesn't have those problems, and I've heard about 50 of them. And I would hardly praise the soloists over Mata. Hagegard is as routine here as he is on Shaw's recording, and Aler is unmemorable. Hendricks does offer some nice touches, though. In sum, this is an interesting, less-flashy alternative view of the score that deserves serious consideration.