Bergen PO/ Andrew Davis ChandosCHSA 5118 ***

Andrew Davis is no slouch when it comes to his selection of seven Berlioz Overtures (the missing ones are Les Troyens and Rob Roy). The bustle that opens Le Corsaire will tell you that. Norway's Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra is recorded in a nice perspective as well. What's missing then? Well, Davis doesn't seem at all closely tuned to the kind of telling details that make Berlioz so special. He brushes through the music with too much correctness and efficiency, with the apparent aim of dazzling rather than indulging in characteristic Berliozian swagger. This is music-making that conveys plenty of sparkle and shine, but rarely reveals the weft of the textures that make Berlioz such a uniquely treasurable composer. url.ie/f1f2