Nick([log in to unmask]) writes:

>And where the conductor knows what he's doing, these fluctuations fall
>into a larger structural pattern that helps to unify an entire movement.
>So I don't think Steve's problem is with the fact that Bernstein didn't
>choose a tempo and stick with it; I think the problem is that Bernstein
>didn't convince Steve that his tempo modifications contributed successfully
>to the musical effects that should be achieved here.  Insofar as there
>is a Bernstein failure involved, it seems to me the failure lies in the
>specific application of an approach to music-making, not in the approach
>itself.

This is a recurring problem with me and Bernstein.  I often get the feeling
that he is "Showing Off" but then when a pivotal point arrives, I find that
he doesn't seem to have the extra emphasis that I have heard from other
conductors.  Still he often illuminates passages that other conductors brush
past.  I guess its a love/hate relationship.

Steve M. (Northern Virginia)