Koussevitzky - Boston Symphony Orchestra: Live Recordings 1943-1948, Vol 2

Advantages: Excellent material and performance
Disadvantages: Short running time

...Lorraine Hunt Lieberson's last recording, of her husband's settings of five texts by the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, is a moving tribute to the singer. The neo-romantic orchestrations, expertly handled by James Levine and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, perfectly complement the expressions of tender love in the poetry. The highlight for me was "And now you're mine, rest with your dream in my dream" where the Hispanic influence is most apparent in the music, although the poignancy of the final track, "My love, if I die and you don't" will probably endure longest; this is as personal as contemporary classical music can get. Although the CD was recorded live, there is little evidence of this fact; only a minimum of ambient noise can be detected, and there is certainly no eruption of applause at the end. And rightly so: to have included... Read review

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...Mahler's Symphony No5 came to the general public through the fil "Death in Venice". It is a large scale work which needs to show the full range of emotional feeling that Mahler put into it. To my mind, there are only two recordings that do it justice. The benchmark performance is that done by Barbirolli on EMI with the Philharmonia Orchestra. The sound is warm and rich, particularly in the brass section and you have the feel of a live performance. If you want a current digital performance, then the Bernstein recording on DGG takes some beating. He brings out the shmaltz underlying the score without making it banal. The recording is bright, full and glorious. No other recordings need be considered.... Read review

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Advantages: Heroic fifth. Mysrterious sixth.
Disadvantages: None

...in D minor is in contrast to the fifth light and sparkling. Written in four movements has an overwhelming sense of nature at rest. The first movement is full of elusive movement. The second opens softly with quivering strings and chirping birdsong. The third movement, poco vivace, is lively and bright as a harp shimmers empirically above the music. The finale, Allegro molto, weaves together all the threads from the previous movements. It is gentle and somewhat melancholic with an obsessive bass line that trails off into nothingness. The music is a live recording by the London Symphony Orchestra. It is flawless with every note sounding clearly creating a wonderful rich orchestral texture. Sir Colin Davis keeps together the ebb and flow of the musical maintaining the tension. A lifelong champion of Sibelius, Davies takes his symphonies... Read review

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