Horenstein was without doubt the best conductor of Mahlers 9th. It was his "war horse" & "dark night of the soul". I adore Bernstein, Walter & Karajan's live recording with the BPO, but give me Jascha anytime.
I consider this recording to be a strong contender for the best orchestral recording ever made. And this section (including the preceding 3 minutes or so) is incredibly powerful, the greatest symphony climax I know of, played and conducted just perfectly for my tastes.
Even on my crappy speaker the BPO sounds great. I am not a fan of non Bernstein conductors, so there it is. For me Bernstein takes it to that final level, Mahler is not smooth, like life.
Along with Horenstein and Barbirolli, I regard Karajan as one of the great Mahler conductors. To some, I commit blasphemy by admitting that I am not a fan of Lenny's Mahler, but over time, as I began to plumb the depths of this marvelous body of work, it became clear to me that simplicity and full attention to the myriad details of the scores themselves is the best way to go. Mahler does the rest.
J'adore Karajan, mais là il prend vraiment Mahler pour Beethoven, avec cette fanfare qui n'a plus rien à voir avec l'esprit de la symphonie... Je retourne vers Bernstein !
This is remarkable- -yes,it's smooth (compared to Bernstein) and string dominated but it's emotionally totally there as well.
He didn't always seem to get Mahler though...try the 1st movement of the 4th Symphony.
japanesesweet 1 month ago
Horenstein was without doubt the best conductor of Mahlers 9th. It was his "war horse" & "dark night of the soul". I adore Bernstein, Walter & Karajan's live recording with the BPO, but give me Jascha anytime.
simeyD 5 months ago
I consider this recording to be a strong contender for the best orchestral recording ever made. And this section (including the preceding 3 minutes or so) is incredibly powerful, the greatest symphony climax I know of, played and conducted just perfectly for my tastes.
uluru28 7 months ago
@saltabadiletgalatee Mmm. Me to adore Karajan!
zolochnaya 9 months ago
Even on my crappy speaker the BPO sounds great. I am not a fan of non Bernstein conductors, so there it is. For me Bernstein takes it to that final level, Mahler is not smooth, like life.
trevjr 1 year ago
Along with Horenstein and Barbirolli, I regard Karajan as one of the great Mahler conductors. To some, I commit blasphemy by admitting that I am not a fan of Lenny's Mahler, but over time, as I began to plumb the depths of this marvelous body of work, it became clear to me that simplicity and full attention to the myriad details of the scores themselves is the best way to go. Mahler does the rest.
Varese13 1 year ago
J'adore Karajan, mais là il prend vraiment Mahler pour Beethoven, avec cette fanfare qui n'a plus rien à voir avec l'esprit de la symphonie... Je retourne vers Bernstein !
saltabadiletgalatee 1 year ago