Favorite Bernstein Recordings

Alex Ross has posted on the New Yorker site a list of his five favorite recordings with Leonard Bernstein conducting. Though I enjoy the five he recommends, I would replace two of them with other Bernstein recordings. Ross's five are:

1. Beethoven's Eroica Symphony, NY Phil on Sony classical
2. Mahler's Ninth Symphony, Berlin Philharmonic, Deutsche Grammophon
3. Chichester Psalms and Symphonies 1 & 2, Israel Phil, Deutsche Grammophon
4. Shostakovich's Symphonies Nos. 1 & 7, Chicago SO, Deutsche Grammophon
5. Ives's Symphony No. 2 and other works, New York Phil, Deutsche Grammophon

I will begin with those I agree with, numbers 1, 4, and 5. The recording of the Eroica Symphony is perhaps my favorite of all, and perhaps my favorite interpretation of the work. One drawback is that in the coda, the trumpets loudly and triumphantly present the germ of the first theme over a tonic and dominant succession, just as the horns did at the beginning of the coda. This is a practice that began around the time of Toscanini, it appears on his recodring as well, and is incorrect with Beethoven's concept of the struggling hero (meaning Beethoven did not compose this). But that aside, the performance is striking.

The recording of the Shostakovich symphonies, paticularly the Seventh, are imaginative and dramatic. Bernstein manages to get such a full-bodied sound out of the CSO to the likes of Reiner and Solti.

It is no secret that Ives was always intrigued by the works of Charles Ives, and the recordings of the Second Symphony and the other works, including the two contemplations, displays Bernstein's ability to control a full orchestra as if he were seated at the piano. The spirit and whimsical nature of Ives's ceations certainly come to the fore on this recording.

To replace Ross's recommendation of some of Bernstein's own music, Chichester Psalms and the first two symphonies, I recommend his recording of Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony on Sony Classical with the New York Phl, part of the Royal Edition. This is the best recording of the work I have heard, and Bernstein manages to pull all of the passion and energy off of the page.

As for the Mahler recording, I can understand the historical meaning behind this being a favorite, but not a favorite for its execution of the material. Ross's over-the-top poetic first line poses a problem, "Only once did Bernstein stand on the podium of the Berlin Philharmonic---during this 1979 performance of Mahler's Ninth Symphony." True the live recording came from a single night, 4 October 1979, but Bernstein stood before the Berlin Philharmonic and led them in the work again the next night, 5 October 1979. Oh, Alex. The historical nature of the recording is not lost; an American Jew being invited to communist East Germany to conduct the music of a Jewish composer who converted for the betterment and acceptance of his career. Sure, we get that. Bet what about the recording? Well, it isn't as tight as one would expect, there were some instances of miscommunication between conductor, soloists, and orchestra, and this includes a glaring omission of the lower brass in the finale for some reason. Bernstein had his back against the wall coming to Berlin and leading the Philharmonic in Mahler. It is well known that Karajan did not fancy the music of Mahler, and in fact only recorded half of the symphonies, whereas then as now every top conductor must record the cycle at least once. The Philharmonic was not accustomed to performing this music, so Bernstein had his work cut out for him, especially for a two-night engagement.

To replace the Mahler, I recommend the recording of Tchaikovsky's Sixth Symphony with the New York Phil on Deutsche Grammophon. The late recordings on Deutsche Grammophon are great and this one is worthy of praise. No one could draw more out of the score than Bernstein when it comes to this recording. For the finale, Bernstein clocks in at 17'12", nearly twice the time as most recordings. Though he has been accused of taking things on the slower side, he really plays this to the advantage of the work in this particular case.