MusicWeb International critic Dan Morgan reviews the new Kansas City Symphony and the Michael Stern recording, One Movement Symphonies:

“From the outset, it’s clear Stern has the measure of the [Barber First Symphony], its dramatic arch cannily constructed, its final destination never in doubt. As for the KCS, they respond with real warmth and commitment, their playing as poised and polished as anything you might hear in Boston, Chicago, or even Detroit. Predictably, the recording is first rate, the soundstage broad and deep, every last detail and splash of colour superbly rendered. … With Sibelius’s Op. 105, …The KCS strings warrant a special mention here, especially for their spun-silk playing in quiet passages. Indeed, Stern coaxes his players to give of their best, and that shines through in every bar. … And now for the pièce de resistance, Scriabin’s Le Poème de l’extase… These magnificent Missourians certainly get off to an auspicious start, their performance subtly scented and laced with the kind of detail other versions tend to miss. Stern, resolute but never dull, makes all the right calls here, his implacable pace adding greatly to the sense of approaching climax. Not only that, his unhurried approach allows one to luxuriate in every aspect of this sinuous, sense-sating score. And while Kraybill and the Kauffman Casavant only have a walk-on part near the end, they steal the show. Indeed, when it arrives, the moment of release, so meticulously prepared for, is simply stupendous. … Stern and the KCS at their very best; top-drawer sound, too.”

—Dan Morgan, MusicWeb International

See the full review on musicweb-international.com