Review: DG's Complete Bernstein Recordings (2)
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- čas přidán 12. 01. 2023
- This second box contains 63 CDs, collected from Bernstein's recordings for DG, Decca and Philips, starting with Mahler and going to the end of the alphabet. There's some great stuff here, and some alarming duds. Check it out to see if you prefer your Bernstein early (on Sony) or late.
- Hudba
Saw Lennie conduct twice in Houston: with the Israel Phil on tour and he fell off the podium during Hamlet. He shouted in Hebrew "Keep playing!!" got back up and finished. Second time with the Houston Symphony at a rainy outdoor concert - he made a guest appearance and conducted "On the Waterfront" Suite.
He brought the Israel Phil to jones hall on tour?
Caballe takes only half a breath throughout the entire Morgen! I love those performances.
I've always described Bernstein's Prelude from Tristan as "what if someone played Wagner like the slow movement from a Mahler symphony?"
It's a great performance.
😊😊😊
@@FalParsi and you can hate it if it doesn't work for you, but that doesn't mean it's not great.
@@FalParsi I’m not getting into a greater discussion in CZcams comments of the aethestics of music.
Plenty of people like what Bernstein does with Wagner. Plenty don’t. It’s well played and a viable approach to what’s in the score. It either speaks to you or it doesn’t.
@@FalParsi you know only one of us has bothered to say something more than “I don’t like it” so unless you’re going to get into what you don’t like about it, we’re going to go with it being a great performance.
I already said that it’s well played, and that it’s a mahlerian approach.
All you’ve offered is “I don’t like it.”
Good for you. Don’t listen to it if “you don’t like it” but don’t waste my time If you’re not going to say something remotely intelligent on the subject.
@@FalParsi “Bernstein is always so pathetic”
Wow. That’s got to be one of the dumbest generalizations I’ve ever read in a youtube comments page.
Dear David, the self-proclaimed biggest Lenny-fan says a big Thank you. Yes, his DG-recordings are a bit (very) slow. Lenny is my hero of all heroes, I have all the recordings (some 80 CDs unpublished broadcasts), all videos and all books. I love this man, for me and many experts he is the greatest musician of the 20th century. I know that you love him too. Man, you are so fortunate to have seen and heard him so often. I just saw him one time at the Schleswig-Holstein-Festival, this concert I will never forget!
Bravo, thomasnie8151. I heard Mahler for the 1st time via the earlier NY Phil discs. Lennie's lifelong gift to me.
Incidentally, have you had a chance to hear any of his Harvard Norton lectures?
The man was simply a polymath. He could make a discussion on oriental basket weaving a compelling experience.
A gifted communicator.
The stories of his falling off podiums show true resilience!
@@johkkarkalis8860 Of course I have the Norton Lectures. He was such a "HUMAN" and the ultimate charismatic person. I am happy that he now has a big repotation as composer too. In the 60s and 70s there was the dictatorship of the "Avantgarde". David is not really a fan of this crap.
@@thomasnie8151 I think it's a safe bet to say Leonard Bernstein turned on many young people to classical music, a passion that extended throughout their lives, with the "Youn Persons" concerts.
Listening to what passes for music on the airwaves today begs for another Lenny.
I had the good fortune to attend a junior high school in Shaker Heights decades ago where music appreciation was required.
After hearing works on a large record player (in glorious monaural sound) we would be bussed to Severance Hall to hear the recorded selections by a first rate orchestra ( Mr. Szell's group). The experience was lasting. That sound! coming from all those people in concert was overwhelming.
Vis a vis the Harvard Norton series, the discussion I had in mind was Lenny's consideration of the Mahler 9th.
The reference to a "Zen like' experience in the 4th movement and the departure of the soul into an infinite aether at the conclusion was pure Bernstein.
@@thomasnie8151 Your characterization of "The dictatorship of the 'Avant Guard " made me smile.
In the late 40's, 50's, 60's serial music was the lingua franca of the members of many academic institutions. These works served as "valentines " to be exchanged between faculty.
Well, water eventually seeks it's own level and I am happy to report many, many of these scores are now collecting dust on the shelves of academia, unperformed.
@@johkkarkalis8860 Right so!
If the Great God Cancrizans were to ordain that only one Dave Hurwitz series survive for the ages (note that Cancrizans elects a series not just an episode), I suspect he might choose this one just concluded. Many thanks for surveying the Lennyverse with such thoroughness and good judgment. On the question of which of Bernstein's recorded legacy, the Sony or the DG/Decca is to be preferred, your formula seems reasonable to me. In general the earlier Bernstein is better, but in some cases his conception of a work, or even a composer, matured so that the DG remakes surpass his earlier effort. And, yes, "perversity is perversity"--a bit of tautological wisdom.
It often seems early recordings are better with conductors but it’s nice to hear Lennie at times, anyway, got better over time! It’s interesting how many conductors don’t improve.
Fabulous. Tchaikovsky 6th, yep, devestating! Always meant to get the Schumann Bernstein DG yet never did. REALLY wanna get 'em now after this Talk...!
Just listened to his Tchaikovsky Francesca with Israel Philharmonic. Definitely better than the latter one in New York.
I enjoy exercise videos like these.
Lol
When you attended these live performances, did you see lots of extra mics and / or cameras used to record them? Just curious. Thanks!
Some were recorded, some weren't, but the ones that were did have extra mics.
How did a CD featuring Dvorak and Bloch appear after Tchaikovsky? Did they get bored of the alphabet at this point? 😂
I'm in complete agreement with you Dave in that when Bernstein was "Lenny" in New York, that was the better Bernstein. With the exception of a few works from his "Leonard Period" in the late 1970's until his death (Beethoven & most of the Mahler Symphonies chiefly), I've always felt he became way too serious and even self indulgent at times. I can't help feeling that the older Bernstein got, the more he became a self regarding egomaniac of sorts. Tempos slowed and even the music itself seemed pushed and pulled out of its natural shape. A perfect example is his DG Sibelius recordings. All I can state with certainty is that when young Lenny was on fire, few if any conductors could match him for passion, intensity and excitement.
Are the videos taken of his Mahler performances taken from his DG set or did he do a "third" Mahler cycle strictly for video?
He did a third cycle for video.
It was recorded between 1971 and 1976.
The combo DG box is still available directly from UMG's store "Center Stage" with the Beethoven cycle on Blu-Ray Audio and a bunch of Unitel videos. As to his Mahler, I believe the audio 8th in the DG box is from the Salzburg Festival. The Unitel Video has the Vienna Festival/Konzerthaus M8. I also heard the M6 at Carnegie with the VPO. It was ok, but I like the video version better. The DG M3 does have better playing. For example, if you listen to the "rabble" in the first movement, the string bass playing is much more disciplined.
I was in attendance for one of Bernstein's final performances --- Mahler's 9th with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in San Francisco. I believe it was 1989 or 1990. I think his recording with Berlin Philharmonic of Mahler 9th is a great one, although I do not think Berlin is a "great" Mahler Orchestra.
"Another six out of five possible stars review!"
which is what one feels when knowing many of the recordings and having exactly the same opinion as Maestro Hurwitz.
A personal note: Thomas Hampson is actually SO much better (or more pleasent to listen to) than the (notorious) Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau because Hampson largely avoids to dive into the complete catalogue of unneccesary mannerism that D.F-D. started to indulge in after 1965.
For me, Hampson's finest hour (or three actually) was getting the Met to do Busoni's Doktor Faust.