CARMINA BURANA

Ozawa's Carmina Burana confirms Orff’s own view of the music: 'The simpler and more significant the utterance, the more direct and striking is the effect.' The performance is thoroughly idiomatic, while the preference for slower tempi in many sections emphasises the detail and colour of the scoring, features which are aided by a recording which has transferred well from its analogue original. With full documentation, including texts and translations, this disc is a real bargain.

Performance: 5 (out of 5); Sound: 5 (out of 5)

-- Terry Barfoot, BBC Music Magazine