The
Sinfonia of London
comprises musicians from various London orchestras, but there is little here to suggest that they are anything other than an established orchestra with a long history of playing
Rachmaninov
. Credit goes to conductor
John Wilson
, who delivers really well-crafted readings of some rather difficult
works. The highlight is right up front;
Wilson
's
The Isle of the Dead, Op. 29
, is riveting, holding to the momentum generated by
's 5/8 opening as the threatening clouds explode into really dark climaxes. The orchestral version of the
Vocalise, Op. 34, No. 14
, serves as an intermezzo here, but that doesn't mean that the conductor and orchestra get to relax; this piece is as difficult to sustain as is the original version for soprano.
's reading of the
Symphony No. 3, Op. 44
, is also very strong; he finds the thread running through the rampant mood shifts of the finale, and the Adagio is rich, with a magical interaction among the solo instruments at the beginning. This is riveting
from start to finish, and it landed on classical best-seller lists in the fall of 2022. ~ James Manheim