Okay, here goes. Note that the easiest way for me to refference the passages I am talking about is to give timings in the recording; all timings are approximate. And in short, yes, I would hazard a guess and say that the sonics are better than the original, just based on what I heard from the remastered version.
The first movement opens beautifully with a nice, wide soundstage demonstrated by the low strings on the right and the harp on the left. The opening appearance of the “Farewell” theme starts off in the first measure rather quickly before Bernstein reins the orchestra back. We see this approach again in the Rondo-Burleske, but more on that later. At the first climax (Roughly 6:45) the timpanist is not as bold as in Bernstein’s New York account, but that is okay. One point of interest: at 7:38, the timpani is a bit out of tune; it appears as though they may have tuned the timp a bit sharp before the concert.
The haunting slide in the strings at 8:44 is something new I have never noticed in the score before, so kudos to Bernstein for accentuating that detail, as I think it helps to convey the mood nicely. (The same thing occurs at 15:19, with the same good results.) While we’re talking of unnoticed details in this work for me, the timpani crashes at 12:12 (going from D down to A) are also details I noticed when listening to this recording. While that particular detail does not add much to the piece for me, I again applaud Lenny for bringing those details to light.
The violin solo at 16:05 is passionately played with a lot of vibrato, and that leads in nicely to the big climax. By the way, the percussion at 18:16 (and just before that) sounds great; there is not much bass distortion, which I was expecting given the source of this recording.
After the big climax things really start to wind down. Another detail that Bernstein accentuates is the passage around 19:40: I have never heard bells playing the same three-note pattern in the middle octave; as with the other details Lenny brings out, I like it.
At 24:01 the music reminds me a lot of the closing passage of Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain, complete with the harp doing a D major arpeggio. This passage, as with the ending of Night on Bald Mountain, suggests some final and long called-for calm. And before I forget, the flute solo at 25:35 is heartbreakingly beautiful.
The Landler under Bernstein is rather faster than Simon Rattle or Bruno Walter (1961 version), but that is okay with me. Interestingly, like Walter, Bernstein stamps his foot on the podium at the exact same point (0:15) as Walter does in both of his recordings, and that for me shows a Maestro who is very engaged with the music. Come on, it’s Lenny, and this recording wasn’t meant for release.
Mahler critic Tony Duggan noted in his review of this recording (in its older form) that the waltz material (2:24 in) is slower than the Landler; whether it should be the opposite way around (as Duggan suggests) or not is really not for me to say. What I can say though is that for me, the Landler has enough “crunch” (this isn’t Rattle, but it’s close enough for folk music) and the Waltz sounds sufficiently, well, like a waltz. (Interestingly, when the Landler theme reappears just before 13:00, Bernstein takes it significantly slower.) At 14:46, there is a great balance of strings and winds, something I do not recall hearing in other recordings.
I mentioned how Bernstein employed a little rubato in the Rondo; while it was somewhat noticeable in the first movement, it is very noticeable in the Rondo. (The pause I am talking about is at 0:04.) Lenny’s Berlin account is very fast, and honestly I must say I really like it. Here, just as in the first movement, there are details I did not notice before, one of which is an increased clarinet presence at 2:16. At 3:00 it seems as though the brass may have not been playing quite together, but it was only momentary and who knows, at that speed, perhaps it was intentional.
At 5:45 Bernstein slows things down significantly, which I feel draws out the comforting nature of the middle passage. I know some do not approve of this approach, but, in my opinion, it works. The viola solo at 9:04 is beautiful and passionate, kind of a last glimmer of hope for the movement. Bernstein gets the orchestra going at 9:44 and it just builds from there on out to an impressive ending—extremely fast and extremely well played.
I think Tony Duggan’s assessment of the great Adagio fourth movement under Bernstein with the BPO as “Mahler with all the stops pulled out” is very justified. The opening theme (starting at 0:22) is one of the slowest I have heard. But oh, how passionate, how heartfelt.
At 3:45 I was surprised not to hear as much of a low string presence as I had heard in other recordings; but, again, this is a live recording. The viola solo at 5:03 is strong and passionate, as is the violin solo at 6:06. About 6:00 and lasting about a minute, Bernstein speeds up the tempo a bit; this, to me, suggests some desperation—very appropriate. The first climax at 9:39 is very heavy on the percussion, and, as in the first movement, the sound quality is very good, considering that this is a tape from 1979.
At 10:39 the harmony between the violas and violins is very noticeable, more so than in other recordings I have heard. I have always found the viola to be a mellow yet commanding instrument, and violas in multiples playing a tender passage such as that serves to make the music that much more heartfelt.
It still remains a mystery why the entire trombone section of four players did not play at the climax of the entire work at 14:45; I must say, though, that the trumpets carrying the melody alone suggests for me an even greater sense of desperation , almost to the point of emotional breakdown.
The music takes on a tender quality at 17:43, and thus begins the decent to a gentle rest. During the viola solo at 20:32, one can actually hear someone in the audience sniffle; no doubt, this performance was evoking extreme emotions from at least some of the crowd. Bernstein really begins to stretch things at 23:00, and it further serves to accentuate the emotional power of this beautiful work.
I know there are those who do not approve of this kind of emotional approach to Mahler’s music, and those who feel that way probably will not much care for Bernstein’s performances of this work, especially this one. Also, the missing trombones at the climax will undoubtedly be a major turnoff for some; I consider it a small price to pay for this landmark recording, but I know not everyone will feel that way.
As far as the sound goes, I have not heard the original, so I really do not have anything to compare it to. With that said, the sound quality is not as high as say the 2007 Simon Rattle/Berlin Philharmonic release, but honestly I didn’t expect it to be. While I have not heard the original recording, I am a pretty harsh critic of sonics…and I consider the sound to be very good, considering that it was taken from a tape intended only for broadcast in 1979. So, while I cannot answer the question of whether the sonics are improved from the older recording, I can definitely say that the sound quality is very good.
Overall, I would give this performance a 9/10, and the only thing holding me back from giving it a 10/10 is the missing trombones at the climax of the fourth movement.
