ClassicsToday rates our latest Kansas City Symphony Elgar/Vaughan Williams recording a 9/10 for Artistic Quality and a 10/10 for Sound Quality, while highly recommending the recording even if you have multiple recordings of the repertoire:
“Michael Stern and his Kansas City Symphony take to the music as if to the manner born. The Wasps, here given as the complete suite and not just the overture, is delightful.
“The finale is extremely impressive, aided by state-of-the-art sonics that offer the finest integration of organ and orchestra yet captured in this work on disc. Beginning with perhaps a touch of restraint, the music builds to a final climax that is just thrilling. The disc is worth hearing for the final minute alone. So even if you have a million versions of this music, you may want to give this a shot if only to hear what can be achieved with it sonically.” — David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday