Richard Pennycuick ([log in to unmask]) wrote:

>I think that comment holds true for a number of the DG recordings that he
>made towards the end of his life.  I recall particularly a Sibelius 2nd
>that could most charitably be described as ponderous, and the last movement
>of his Tchaikovsky 6th redefined self-indulgence.

Well, I can get myself into a frame of mind to enjoy the Sibelius, but not
the Tchaikovsky.

>That said, I love his slow and powerful Shostakovich 7th on DG with, for
>some reason, the Chicago Symphony.  But in general, my favourite Bernstein
>recordings are from the 50s and 60s.

Mine too, although his 1970s VPO Beethoven cycle has some good things.

>OTOH, I seem to remember when Klemperer's tempos became slower and slower,
>reviewers fell over themselves to find appropriate superlatives.  I suppose
>there were good reasons for recording his Symphonie Fantastique, New World
>and Pathetique, but I'd much rather have heard his Mahler 3rd.

I *love* OK's Symphonie Fantastique, it is a tremendously powerful and
exciting performance, even if a tad slow at times.

Did he ever even conduct Mahler 3? I'm not sure that he did.  I for one
could have done *without* his Mahler 7, which for me has much of the appeal
(in the outer movements) of a postmortem.

OTOH, his Bonn Eroica (1970), the slowest I know (first mvt 18:52 *without*
repeat), has a massive solidity about it which I find convincing (99.9% of
the time).

Deryk Barker
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