Roger Hecht <[log in to unmask]> wrote: >But are I and my wife the only people in the world who can't stand >Slatkin's Second? We must be. I've tried several times and to me, it's >so drawn out that Slatkin seems to be draining the life out of the piece. >It's probably one of the few ecordings that comes close to making me >dislike the piece--and that takes some doing! I think at this point, I'd >be grateful to hear from one other person who dislikes this performance. I saw Slatkin conduct this piece at the Proms in '98 and I thought it dragged also. A pity because that was one of the pieces that I was most looking forward to hearing. I have recordings by Solti and Previn (Phillips) and I like the Previn. I have also heard good things about Handley's. I have Handley's first and it is definitely worth checking out if you are interested. Steve M. (Northern Virginia)