Cinema Serenade 2 - The Golden Age / Perlman, Williams Soundtrack CD

 Fine performances let down by poor recording
There is nothing wrong with the music served up here. These arrangements of 20th century Golden Age cimena classics are just the thing for nostalgia buffs. There isn't anything particularly wrong with the playing on this recording either. The recording falls apart on account of the actual sound of Mr. Perlman's violin and the relative balance of the solo violin compared to the orchestra. The violin solo is either excessively closely miked and / or the audio balance has been tuned vastly in favour of the solo violin. The result is a very bright, immediate, hard and glassy violin sound that is almost totally lacking in ambience. The best way I can describe it is being locked inside a closet with Mr. Perlman with his violin inches away from your ear. If you are wanting to buy a recording that bears some similarity to what you would hear in a concert hall, then you had best avoid this recording. If on the other hand you wish to hear Mr. Perlman's violin playing above the cacophony of the washing machine, dishwasher and lawn mower - let alone the Boston Pops Orchestra, then you'll porbably be very impressed.
Submitted by a reviewer (New South Wales, Australia)
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