Sam Kemp wrote:

>...the name of Jascha Horenstein means nothing at all to me.  If it is
>quantifiable at all, for what reason do you prefer his recordings?

Partly nostalgia (the first Bruckner 8th I ever heard was his fabulous old
Vox recording) and partly just because I like his conducting for reasons I
can't really quantify, eg I still think his Nielsen 5th is right at the top
of the heap.

Sam also said that he was a complete novice with Mahler, so the 8th
is probably not the place to start.  I was persuaded by the raves of
Deryk Barker and others to buy Horenstein's version on BBC Legends, and
discovered that their raves were more than justified.  The other day,
I had time to play only the closing moments to an old friend who wasn't
desperately keen to hear a 40-year-old recording.  He was moved almost to
tears by just those few minutes.  We may wish that Mozart and Schubert had
lived longer and speculate about what they might have composed.  Equally,
we may wonder about why Horenstein was recorded so little and fantasise
about the records he might - and should - have made.

But Sam, just buy his 8th while you can!

Richard Pennycuick
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