DG has just reissued the Bernstein/VPO M5, with its Erte cover somewhat intact. The sound was remastered by the Emil Berliner Studio people, but it still doesn't sound so wonderful to me. The performance is relatively slow and heavy. Therefore, I was to trying to analyze why I reacted so positively to the live performance in S.F. (same forces), but am less than thrilled about this recording. A couple of thoughts do come to mind.
My memory tells me that the performance in S.F. was a bit more daring; less safe. Then again, that could just be my imagination. But a couple of more tangible thoughts occured to me as well. On the recording, Bernstein gets an incredible pianissimo from his strings, right before the big climax in the Adagietto movement (fourth movement). At the performance in S.F., the audience was absolutely dead silent throughout that passage! That makes a huge difference. Also, in the middle movement scherzo, the solo horn had an absolutely HUMUNGOUS sound - far bigger sound than any of the horn players in the S.F.S.O. ever, ever produce. For some reason, that hugeness of tone doesn't quite translate on to the recording. It simply had to be heard to be believed.
So, here's a case where what truly worked in the concert hall, doesn't quite translate so well on to a recording. Make no mistake, sound quality does play into this. Also, it may just be that this Frankfurt performance - the one captured on the disc - was truly a safer performance than the one I heard in S.F. But Fritz Reiner used to make a habit doing recordings at slightly faster tempi than those he employed in live performances. I think he had a point.
Topic: random thoughts on Bernstein/VPO M5 (Read 4403 times)