Steven Martin wrote in regard to a Bernstein Mahler 2:

>I find myself getting annoyed at the fact that Bernstein seemed to be
>constantly adjusting the tempos and I found myself yearning for stability.
>
>I have heard people remark that when Klemperer conducted, he found a tempo
>and he stuck with it.  Climaxes build and a piece proceeds with an almost
>relentless purpose and you find yourself anticipating the next note which
>always seems to arrive at just the right moment.

There's no doubt that Klemperer knows how to build effective climaxes, and
at its best his style--what do they call it? "granitic"? "monumental"?--can
be overwhelmingly effective.  But I think the contrast here is improperly
drawn, making a difference between conductors (or between particular
performances by particular conductors) into a difference between styles.
Believe me, "finding a tempo and sticking with it" is not the only way to
"build climaxes," "proceed with an almost relentless purpose," and achieve
the effect of each note "arriving at just the right moment." Furtwaengler
is not the only example, but he's surely a good one, of a conductor
achieving all of these with very fluid tempos.  To take a couple of
examples, listen to the cumulative effect over fairly long stretches of the
fourth movements of just about any Furtwaengler performance of Brahms's
First or Beethoven's Ninth: climaxes build, and relentlessly, as every
note falls ito place . . .  as the tempo accelerates.

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.

Nick
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