Roger Hecht writes:

>I have heard the Vienna Philharmonic in the Musikverein, the Vienna State
>Opera, Boston's Symphony Hall and New York's Carnegie.  I found them
>fabulous in all four, particularly the Musikverein and in Boston.  ...

Well, I truly envy your travels and concert going.  Whilst a graduate
student I had opportunity to hear the CSO in Orchestra Hall.  Other than
a visit or two to Tanglewood (not a hall anyway) all my concert-attendence
has been limited to the NYC area.  I do however have 14 different discs
containing Levine interpretations of Mozart Symphonies, all recorded in
Wien, Musikverein, Grosser Saal.  I don't hear any magic in either the hall
nor the artists.  I much prefer the recorded sound of Levine conducting
Mozart with CSO in the Medinah Temple, Chicago in the good ole US of A.
Perhaps Paul Goodman's magic exceeds that of Herren Paul, Mayer, Scheibe
und Garben.  For that matter to my ears the DGG recording team at the
Performing Arts Center, State University of New York at Purchase do more
justice to the music and sound (clarity and beauty of tone) in their
Mozart (and Haydn) than do those at the Musikverein.

Norman Schwartz
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