Mahler - Symphonies Nos. 7 & 8

The story

Leonard Bernstein made these recordings during his wonderfully productive collaboration with the Wiener Philharmoniker in the mid-1970s when he was at the peak of his career. Humphrey Burton's direction is, as always, very fine, giving the viewer/listener both the larger picture and highlighting individual soloists, players or groups of musicians and, of course, the maestro. The video and audio tracks show their age, but are quite acceptable even for today's standards. Bernstein's Seventh is everything one could desire: dark and spooky, highly sensual, but also structurally strong and assertive where needed. Bernstein's reading does not gloss over breakdowns in tonality and the foreshadowing of later musical developments.

Cast

L Leonard BernsteinSelf E Edda MoserSelf J Judith BlegenSelf G Gerti ZeumerSelf I Ingrid MayrSelf A Agnes BaltsaSelf K Kenneth RiegelSelf H Hermann PreySelf J José van DamSelf V Vienna PhilharmonicSelf