Leonard Bernstein - The Conductor

[BBMmk2]

I thought as we have Bernstein in the Composer Thread, I thought it be a good idea to have a chat about the immense catalogue of recordings he had made,. Whether it be Sony, or DG, etc.

I am going through the box set by DG of his recordings with them, at the moment, his Beethoven Symphony Cycle. I think this is really is top drawer stuff with the VPO. Can't wait to hear the rest of this box set either.

[Dave2002]

Lennie's Sibelius recordings are very good too. Some of the NYPO versions now sound good in the latest sound. I compared his 7th in the DG version with the Sony version, and enjoyed both, but I expected the Sony to sound worse. I can't say that it did really - and I came down to thinking that the earlier performance was the one which had greater impact.

I have the Sony set of the symphonies - some really good things in there. Perhaps if CDs are still around in a year or two I'll buy the other boxes - the concertos etc, and the DG originals, though right now I'm cutting back for a bit. I may actually now have more CDs that I've not listened to than those that I have!

[Petrushka]

I was rather looking forward to the Sony Bernatein box, possibly as a birthday present to self later in the year, but find myself somewhat put off by the Amazon review of John Fowler https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B072M4GV...ZLZSXA7N&psc=0

Has anyone here got this set and can provide reassurance that it's not the mess Fowler says it is? It's a lot of money to shell out if it's an incomplete, error strewn mess!

[richardfinegold]

I was rather looking forward to the Sony Bernatein box, possibly as a birthday present to self later in the year, but find myself somewhat put off by the Amazon review of John Fowler https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B072M4GV...ZLZSXA7N&psc=0

Has anyone here got this set and can provide reassurance that it's not the mess Fowler says it is? It's a lot of money to shell out if it's an incomplete, error strewn mess!

Well, it’s about 1.8 pounds per CD. It ‘s a pity if the organization is a mess, but that is the fate of a lot of these big box reissues.
A more relevant question would be duplication. As a veteran collector you might have a chunk of this already.
This could also be a retirement project. You could burn it to a HD and then use any organizing software that suits your needs. You can still keep the CDs but if fiddling with a large collection becomes a hassle just play from the HD

[gradus]

Well, it’s about 1.8 pounds per CD. It ‘s a pity if the organization is a mess, but that is the fate of a lot of these big box reissues.
A more relevant question would be duplication. As a veteran collector you might have a chunk of this already.
This could also be a retirement project. You could burn it to a HD and then use any organizing software that suits your needs. You can still keep the CDs but if fiddling with a large collection becomes a hassle just play from the HD

I hope that his Sibelius 5 with the LSO at the Edinburgh Festival in the eighties will appear,when it does it will have been worth the wait.

[Lat-Literal]

I'm never going to have the nuances other people have on conductors. Having recently listened to Barbirolli and Boult on RVW2 I am not convinced that my hearing is such that they have a significantly different or better impact on me from what I already have. Mostly I go by people who capture my imagination and excite. It varies depending on composer. But Bernstein, Beecham, Previn, Handley, Dudamel and Alsop......these are probably the main ones. If I do buy more of Sibelius which seems likely, I think I might well opt for Bernstein.

[Darkbloom]

His Falstaff is very good, if you can take D F-D in another role he wasn't suited for, but LB gets the best out of the VPO. I have always enjoyed the way his Mahler 5 slowly unwound to give us something special by the end, a real sense of arrival. His Bruckner 9, however, is a real mess; he obviously had no sympathy with the music and it's a formless pudding of a performance to be avoided.

[cloughie]

Well, it’s about 1.8 pounds per CD. It ‘s a pity if the organization is a mess, but that is the fate of a lot of these big box reissues.
A more relevant question would be duplication. As a veteran collectoryou might have a chunk of this already.
This could also be a retirement project. You could burn it to a HD and then use any organizing software that suits your needs. You can still keep the CDs but if fiddling with a large collection becomes a hassle just play from the HD

Veteran collector has a better ring to it than old guy with a CD habit!

[richardfinegold]

Veteran collector has a better ring to it than old guy with a CD habit!

I see that there is a lot of love on this Forum for Bernstein’s Sibelius. One of my earliest recordings was Francescatti/Bernstein in the VC and it’s still my go to for this piece. I was therefore expecting great things when I bought the Sony Bernstein/Sibelius box but I was terribly dissatisfied after 2 playing and haven’t touched it since, but now I can’t remember why. Let’s give it another go.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

His Bruckner 9, however, is a real mess; he obviously had no sympathy with the music and it's a formless pudding of a performance to be avoided.

Which one, Db?

[BBMmk2]

I heardn his Symphony No.5 on Spotify the other day. If you are going to get this, I strongly recommend.

[Dave2002]

I see that there is a lot of love on this Forum for Bernstein’s Sibelius. One of my earliest recordings was Francescatti/Bernstein in the VC and it’s still my go to for this piece. I was therefore expecting great things when I bought the Sony Bernstein/Sibelius box but I was terribly dissatisfied after 2 playing and haven’t touched it since, but now I can’t remember why. Let’s give it another go.

It's interesting that you didn't like the Sony Sibelius box - presumably with the NYPO. I'm sure I have those performances in the big Bernstein sypmphony box, but I also have the Sibelius in the DG box c/w that controversial Enigma Variations. I liked both, but in the end I found that the NYPO recording won the day - as a performance - and the recording isn't too bad either. Maybe the different incarnations of all these recordings give slightly different "feel" to the sound.

Bernstein's Nielsen symphony recordings are also well worth trying - though won't necessarily displace other favourites.

There's also a Youtube video from Denmark (1965) of the Espansiva - presumably recorded about the time of the recording.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5sbcF7p0Pk

I was hoping that there might be a Youtube of number 5 - (I mean a proper one - with the man in action) - but I can't find one.

[Lat-Literal]

What, I am wondering, about Bernstein and........Mahler?

I thought he was highly regarded for it?

Tom Service is telling me that Mahler's symphonies are pop music.

That I need to place myself in them for their fullest appreciation.

Perhaps Bernstein's lighter West Side Story side helps with that sort of angle?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09h64g4

(Incidentally, if I had to choose just one on the basis of what I know, I reckon it is Mahler 2 but I would be prepared to reassess in a reasonable context)

[LeMartinPecheur]

Tom Service is telling me that Mahler's symphonies are pop music.

Hmm! When do we see "Mahler - the Singles Collection" topping the charts?

Contain pop(ular) music, very possibly; pop music no, however popular they become

[cloughie]

Hmm! When do we see "Mahler - the Singles Collection" topping the charts?

Contain pop(ular) music, very possibly; pop music no, however popular they become

Blow your mind with Blumine!