Eloquence Classics

“There is more to this reading than the usual quick brush to a familiar score. Much of the detail is treated in a fresh and even unorthodox fashion.” High Fidelity, April 1963 (Beethoven: Symphony No.5)

“Doráti gets the best playing and the best sound… [he] has a fine sense of orchestral balance, detail, and line. Aided and abetted by the Mercury engineers, with their particular genius for close-up sound, he has had remarkable success in picking the main lines clearly and succinctly out of even the densest orchestral textures.” High Fidelity, March 1964 (Schoenberg, Berg, Webern: Orchestral works)

“Doráti has the right idea here. His performances are characteristically brilliant, disciplined, red-blooded … The London Symphony responds with verve and style to their leader’s direction, while Mercury’s engineers have taken it all down with mirror-like clarity.” High Fidelity, April 1964 (Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsodies)

“There is a master’s skill in every phrase, and [Szigeti’s] playing is wonderfully communicative … an excellent accompaniment from Doráti.” High Fidelity, September 1964 (Beethoven: Violin Concerto)

“Doráti doesn’t believe in weeping over the Pathétique. Apparently, he views this as a symphony of strong drama and passion … a valid interpretation delivered with the strength of conviction.” High Fidelity, August 1963 (Tchaikovsky: Symphony No.6)

“Doráti and his orchestra give an excellent account of the score’s strong point, its fantastic range of sound.” High Fidelity, December 1965 (Bartok: The Wooden Prince)

“Starker’s razor-sharp, ultra-brilliant cellism is coupled with brisk, no-nonsense conducting from Doráti, solid playing from the London orchestra, and vivid close-up engineering from Mercury.” High Fidelity, January 1965 (Saint-Saëns/Tchaikovsky)

“The most lyrical conducting I have heard from Dorati … where Tchaikovsky has written music of vigor and melodic sweep, these qualities are extended into Doráti’s readings. Some of the shorter movements are ravishingly played.” High Fidelity, January 1966 (Tchaikovsky: Symphonies Nos. 1-3)

“This Third belongs in the top rank … The pacing is eminently sensible, the treatment of detail very logical, and the overall musical organization that of a master chef d’orchestre.” High Fidelity, January 1969 (Brahms: Symphony No. 3)

“A beautifully organized, tautly logical, and yet emotionally compassionate statement. There is granite strength in his rhythmic pulse, but the phrasing is nevertheless flexible and sympathetic. Moreover, the execution by the LSO is razor-sharp in articulation, and full of youthful vigour.” High Fidelity, January 1969 (Brahms: Symphony No. 4)

“There is cordial rapport between soloist and conductor. In Doráti, Szeryng finds an objective approach to the music that accords well with his own avoidance of expressive excess … he conveys the impact of the score by musicianly insight and lovely tone rather than by overt emotionalism.” High Fidelity, February 1967 (Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto)

“Szeryng’s performance of the Mendelssohn is right up there at the top of the list … his violinism has such grace and sheer ‘spring’ … Dorati supports both concertos with fleet delicacy.” High Fidelity, November 1965 (Mendelssohn, Schumann: Violin Concertos)

“The Overture by Georges Auric sounds like something Sir William Walton might have written after dining on escargots. The performances are superb. The Milhaud has been recorded many times before, but never with such brilliance and effectiveness as here.” High Fidelity, March 1967 (Milhaud, Françaix, Auric, Satie)

“Doráti was never one to overlook the detail of the score and his recording is beautifully, even surgically laid out.” Gramophone, November 2000 (Bartok: Bluebeard’s Castle)

“Doráti’s recording with the LSO still sounds tremendously vivid and is wholeheartedly recommended as the best available performance.” Gramophone, August 1979 (Bartok: The Wooden Prince)