Steve Schwartz:

>I mixed up a performance by Rosbaud with one by Horenstein.

This reminded me of the first version of the 7th I bought, the Berlin
Radio Symphony under Rosbaud on Saga LPs.  I haven't played it for many
years, but remembered that either Mahler's demands on the brass in the last
movement were beyond the BRSO's capabilities, or they were having a very
bad day.  I exhumed it to play a few minutes and found it as uncertain in
performance and boxily recorded as I remembered.  The Vox online catalogue
has the BRSO/Rosbaud in the 7th, recorded in 1952 and, presumably, the same
recording; it's unlikely that Rosbaud recorded it twice.  Even making the
usual allowances, I feel it can at best be seen as a historical document.

Spoilt as we are for choice these days, I found it salutary to consult
my oldest Gramophone catalogue from 1964 to find that, as I thought I
remembered, Rosbaud's was at the time the *only* available version of the
7th, at least in the UK. #1 was repesented by Kubelik, Walter, Horenstein,
Kletzki, Haitink, Walter's year-old stereo version, Leinsdorf and Solti.
For #2, you had a choice between Walter and two versions by Klemperer.
#3: Adler, Bernstein.  #4: van Beinum, Walter, Kletzki, Reiner, Solti,
Klemperer, Ludwig.  #5: Walter, Bernstein.  #6: Abravanel.  #8:
Abravanel.  #9: Horenstein, Ludwig, Walter, Barbirolli.  #10 (2 mvts):
Szell.  Indeed, Mahler's time did come.

Richard Pennycuick
[log in to unmask]