Stephen E. Bacher wrote:

>Any lister recommendations for MS recordings that will open this work up
>in all its glory?

Gardiner has been mentioned in an earlier post as being unsuitable.  I
tend to agree.  He approaches the work from a different tack that I have
difficulty warming to.  It seems almost frivolous and my main complaint
is that he has a tendency to rush passages which takes away some of the
grandeur of the work.  A good indication of this is that he manages to
fit the whole work on a single cd.  Recorded sound is very good and the
orchestra plays very well, but much as I admire Gardiner, I am
uncomfortable with his MS.

Personally, my favourite is Eugen Jochum, on an old Philips issue,
both on CD and LP with the Amsterdam Concertgebouw and Herman Krebbers
supplying the sweet violin solo in the Benedictus.  This is an unashamedly
romantic view of the work, and Jochum gives the music room to breathe and
the music seems to unfold naturally.  Those seeking thrills and spills
apply elsewhere.  The analogue sound is reasonable, if a bit dated (60s?).
I believe it is deleted, but it is not hard to find in 2nd hand stores.
Also worth seeking out, Klemperer on EMI for a similar, though perhaps more
granitic approach and Bernstein on DG which might be on 2 full price discs.
There is also a Klemperer recording on Vox which I have never heard from
the 50s?

If your ears can be persuaded, Toscanini has also recorded the MS.  I am
not well acquainted with this recording, having only heard it once, but who
knows, it might be the version to get you hooked on MS!  I haven't listened
to any of the Karajan recordings of MS so I can't comment on them.  I think
there are other HIP versions of the MS (Roy Goodman?), but I'm sure others
on this list will mention them.  Hope this helps.

Ed Pang
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