Thanks for the info & opinion, Todd & John; all the points you two raise are relevant to my considerations.
Researching the topic a little (I've really gotten curious about Bertini), I noticed the Japanese HMV also has available three releases with him and either Wiener Symphoniker (no, not VPO; in the 5th & 9th) or Berlin Deutsches Symphonieorchester (4th & 6th), all live recordings on the Weitblick label sourced from Europe (but apparently not available there, to what I could find).
And, maybe best of all, in the opera Die Drei Pintos that Weber started and Mahler completed (to such an extent that it's basically by him in fact), with the Munich Radio orchestra. Wondering if anyone has heard that one?
PT
Pt, below is my review of the Bertini/Wiener Symp/Weitblick M9:
I. 28:09
II. 15:27
III. 13:09
IV.28:29
This is a powerful and deeply moving M9 from February of 1985. In interpretation it retains the hallmarks of his later recorded M9's but with "rougher" and edgy playing from the Vienna Symphony (even more rough than the TMSO), which brings a sense of innocence and discovery to the score. There are mistakes heard here and there, yet Bertini guides the orchestra with strength and sculpts a performance that touches and uplifts. The sound is quite good for a live recording, with a somewhat limited dynamic range, but with wonderful balance and detail in the louder climaxes (all three climaxes in the first movement are a highlight of this recording).
Although not essential, I warmly recommend this for fans of Bertini's art. This performance has nuances not heard in his other accounts and I wouldn't want to be without it. The Adagio is on a par with his TMSO M9, but the straight, earnest quality of the strings and strong brass make this one of the most tender and life affirming Adagios I have ever heard.
--Todd