Tony Duggan ([log in to unmask]) wrote:

>Allan Kohrman wrote:
>
>>The Mahler 4th by George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra, with Judith
>>Raskin as soprano soloist, is, in my judgment, the greatest Mahler
>>recording ever made.
>
>It's among the best but there's a mite too much calculation about it.  It's
>an example of what I call "controlled risk" conducting.  I suppose that's
>a variation on the old canard about Szell even rehearsing the
>inspiration.

Several of the ex-patriate European conductors (Reiner, Szell et al) were
reckoned to 'loosen up' when conducting back in Europe.  I heard Szell
conduct Mahler 6 in London in 1970 and it was superb - much better, as far
as one can tell from mere memory than his live recording in Cleveland.

Deryk Barker
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