Search - Sibelius, Bernstein :: Symphonies 5 & 7

5th Symphony a disappointment

B. M. Hyman | Ft. Lauderdale, Florida United States | 12/20/2006

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I've been a long time lover of Bernstein's early New York Philharmonic recording of this symphony, and downloaded this later recording with the Vienna Philharmonic out of curiosity. I regret having done so. Mind you, the recorded DGG sound is gorgeous, as is the playing of the VPO, as one expects it to be. But there is such a sense of boredom and malaise that permeates this performance (I only heard the 5th symphony, and not the 7th) that one cannot help but wonder if LB was not in the best of health when he recorded it. All of the magic, wonder and grandeur of this piece, captured so beautifully in the earlier New York Phil recording (and by other conductors such as Rattle, Berglund, etc.), is lost in this version. The Maestro, who had given the world so many electrifying performances, was just not having a good day in the recording studio."

Bernstein's best Sibelius from his Vienna era

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 09/17/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Bernstein's greatest Sibelius was from New York, and his complete set of the symphonies on Sony remains my first choice. In Vienna two decades later he got draggy and eccentric in his approch, but you wouldn't know it form these two performances, which far outshine the comparable Syms 1 and 2 from this period. I don't think they really compete with Karajan or the younger Bernstein, but I prefer them over Rattle, Colin Davis, and other English pets."