Mariss Jansons: The Oslo Years

A wonderful set of recordings and a fitting tribute - that is Warner's intention - to the late, great Mariss Jansons. In this box-set we have everything Jansons and his orchestra - the Oslo Philharmonic - recorded for EMI. The history of how Jansons became Chief Conductor of the Oslo Phil and the politics - Jansons was a Soviet citizen - surrounding his tenure are recounted in the booklet notes - I'll not spoil it for you. And we all know that politics denied Jansons the chance of becoming Karajan's assistant in Berlin, don't we. Anyway, there are many outstanding recordings in this box; red-hot Honegger symphonies, superb Sibelius symphonies, Shostakovich with a "Russian" tang, naturally and sure-footed Stravinsky... young Mariss never misses a beat! The music's pulse, the ebb and flow... and the sheer joy of music-making is quite evident in these recordings - too numerous to mention. Mariss Jansons, a young conductor and his orchestra delivering edge-of-the-seat performances that never fail to impress.The presentation is superior to most Warner box-set releases; instead of the usual clamshell box the discs are housed in a sturdy slipcase and the CD sleeves have the original EMI artwork which adds to the set's desirability. There is no mention of the recordings being remastered for this release, unfortunately. But the sound quality is very good and few will be disappointed with the sonics. The five DVDs - 4:3 aspect ratio - included in the box-set are fascinating, in that they enable the viewer/purchaser to see Maestro Jansons and his orchestra "in the flesh", as it were - moments frozen in time - conductor and orchestra working as one. This Warner release is a fine tribute to a much missed Maestro, and for the prospective purchaser, this box-set would be a perfect introduction to the art and artistry of Mariss Jansons. I can't recommend this set highly enough - superlatives are superfluous. And at Amazon's current asking price, I'd advise immediate purchase. A wise purchase indeed...