I've recently heard Mahler 7th in the remastered (beautifully) Bernstein Sony box. I thought it was a fantastic performance.
Nathaniel,
I too enjoy the Bernstein Sony M7—it was my first encounter with the work back in the late 60s and it's worn very well over the years. While you're still focused on it, and particularly if you have access to the Universal Edition score, take a look at figure 285 in the
Finale (14:34 into track 5 of the new "Carnegie Hall" version). There's a four-bar trumpet passage that's supposed to dovetail contrapuntally with a line already going on in the trombones, ending together with them on half notes. In this recording the trumpets enter one beat too early and play their entire passage one beat ahead of the trombones, resulting in some odd harmonies and unintended rhythmic effects. A small but surprising mistake.
James
