Richard Pennycuick ([log in to unmask]) wrote:
>I think that comment holds true for a number of the DG recordings that he
>made towards the end of his life. I recall particularly a Sibelius 2nd
>that could most charitably be described as ponderous, and the last movement
>of his Tchaikovsky 6th redefined self-indulgence.
Well, I can get myself into a frame of mind to enjoy the Sibelius, but not
the Tchaikovsky.
>That said, I love his slow and powerful Shostakovich 7th on DG with, for
>some reason, the Chicago Symphony. But in general, my favourite Bernstein
>recordings are from the 50s and 60s.
Mine too, although his 1970s VPO Beethoven cycle has some good things.
>OTOH, I seem to remember when Klemperer's tempos became slower and slower,
>reviewers fell over themselves to find appropriate superlatives. I suppose
>there were good reasons for recording his Symphonie Fantastique, New World
>and Pathetique, but I'd much rather have heard his Mahler 3rd.
I *love* OK's Symphonie Fantastique, it is a tremendously powerful and
exciting performance, even if a tad slow at times.
Did he ever even conduct Mahler 3? I'm not sure that he did. I for one
could have done *without* his Mahler 7, which for me has much of the appeal
(in the outer movements) of a postmortem.
OTOH, his Bonn Eroica (1970), the slowest I know (first mvt 18:52 *without*
repeat), has a massive solidity about it which I find convincing (99.9% of
the time).
Deryk Barker
[log in to unmask]
|