Don Satz:

>I was a little surprised, at this point, that single discs are not to be
>available.  For me, paying over $70 for Barenboim is an iffy proposition
>without some insights.  Have any of our overseas list members heard any
>of the new set? Is it worth the price tag?

This set recieved a very lengthy (2 full pages) and decidedly mixed review
in the debut issue of International Record Review (about which I still
haven't posted my response-- bad me!  Bad me!  Suffice to say it looks like
it'll take it's place right alongside Fanfare in my affections, and I'm
definitely subscribing, as it looks like their US distribution will be
spotty for a while.  Very intelligent mag, and MONTHLY, God bless 'em!)
Their basic verdicts (reviewer is Mortimer H.  Frank):

Sym 1: Perky, buoyant, animated.

Sym 2: Nice revealing of orchestral details, brash humour fully conveyed,
overall made to seem like a harbinger of the 3rd.

Sym 3: excessive breadth that becomes wearisome.  Humorless finale.
Makes movement 1 sound revolutionary only in terms of length.

Sym 4: wonderfully alive and vibrant.  Outer movements sparkle, with
crashing fortes.  Brash wit like in Sym 2, and likewise much interesting
detail.

Sym 5: lacks requisite tension.  Distended slow movement.  Finale too
casual and fast with little attack.  Overall bland.

Sym 6: Many admirable orchestral and structural details brought out, but
often sounds too precious in its understatement, sometimes to the point
of mincing.  Stagnant Brook Scene, rhythmically unstable finale.

Sym 7: 1st movement lacks coherence and momentum.  2nd and 3rd ok, finale
too fast, becomes smeary.

Sym 8: "emerges as a little giant of a symphony".  Craggy profile and
playful mocking of classical style to the fore.  Finale a bit too fast
though.

Sym 9: "very much in the Furtwangler tradition of breadth and solemnity,
it sacrifices continuity, flow and momentum..." effects lost and structures
disjointed by extremely slow tempos.  So long the disc would barely track
on the reviewer's player.

So, sounds like maybe Barenboim falls down on the famous ones and shines in
the underdogs-- 1,2,4 and 8.

Jon Lewis
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