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From: Roland van Gaalen <vangaalenusenet@gmail.com>
Newsgroups: rec.music.classical
Subject: Re: Mahler 5 / Vienna Philharmonic / Bernstein / 1988 (live)
Date: Sun, 7 Jul 2024 16:23:05 +0200
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On 07/07/2024 14:22, Herman wrote:
 > Recently I watched a documentary about Edo de Waart, from a couple years
 > back.
 >
 > He talked about the time he won the Mitropoulos conducting competition,
 > in 1964. As a result of this he got to assist with Leonard Bernstein and
 > the NYPO for a year. Decades later he was still shocked how bad the
 > orchestra was back then and how Bernstein was happy with the ugly sound
 > he created. 'Like a tin bucket'.
 >
 > Why do I quote this? I think with Bernstein a lot of it is just his
 > charisma what you're hearing and if you don't buy the charisma it can
 > happen you hear a tin bucket.
I kept and will keep this CD (Mahler 5/Vienna Philh./Bernstein) because 
the performance is supposed to be 'thrilling', and I don't get it but 
don't trust the permanence of my own judgment.

In 1989 or 1990 I attended a Mahler concert for the first time: the same 
piece performed by the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra in Davies Hall, 
San Francisco, with Herbert Blomstedt conducting. The concert was 
impressive; I understood from two of my friends that it was obviously 
'well rehearsed' and that the CD to buy was the one by Bernstein.

Nevertheless, I bought another CD, also made in 1988, by the Berlin 
Philharmonic with Haitink conducting. It was judged to be OK, but not so 
thrilling.

By the way, I remember Tower Records (2280 Market Street) being a 
wonderful CD store in the neighborhood, with a large classical music 
departmment. In those years, I also bought some CDs by the Kronos 
Quartet there and also a new Bruckner 4 by the Concertgebouw Orchestra 
with Chailly conducting, as well as some by the Smiths.

Around the corner, or a block down the street, or on Haight Street, or 
on Telegraph Avenue accross the Bay in Berkeley, Space Lady may have 
been performing on the sidewalk; I stopped to listen to her numerous 
times, and remember her idiosyncratic reading of this particular song:

https://youtu.be/l2z1Z9ZL1hY?si=68LYX-xbrBlg5gSX

Anyway, some 35 years later I confirm that -- in my opinion! -- 
Haitink's restraint and subtlety greatly benefit at least the first two 
or three movements of Mahler 5 in comparison with Bernstein's 
performance, which strikes me as unidiomatic, unrefined, and even dull 
(apart from the finale).
--
Roland van Gaalen
The Netherlands