Berlioz: Roman Carnival Overture
Charles Munch, Boston Symphony
RCA
When Munch is hot, he’s hard to beat, especially here where the mysterious pre-festival night sounds explode with upbeat tempos and cymbal smashes that seem to open from the inside outward, just like fireworks.
WebTips: This overture is available on two albums. The less expensive older one is entitled Overtures, Queen Mab Scherzo; the newer more expensive SACD one in the “Living Stereo” series contains the four overtures from the older release plus Berlioz’ Harold in Italy (recommended last season: see Phils 13, May 6 & 8, 2010).
Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto
Henryk Szeryng; Antal Dorati, London Symphony
Mercury
Anne-Sophie Mutter; Kurt Masur, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra
Deutsche Grammophon
The Szeryng-Dorati recording is simply nonpareil. Szeryng’s articulation, shaping of phrases, and emotional sweep are matched by Dorati. What’s extra special is the engineering that allows you to hear details, textures, and relationships other recordings tend to fuzz over. That’s what you’ll miss with Mutter and Masur, but their musicianship is 99% as good, and Mutter puts a bit more heart into the second movement.
WebTips: The Szeryng-Dorati is way overpriced on websites; one can buy it in a store for far less. The Mutter-Masur Mendelssohn album, with a decent performance of Piano Trio No. 1 and a stunning one of the Violin Sonata in F with Mutter’s ex-husband, Andre Previn as pianist, comes with both a CD and a DVD of the same performances, and the used price on Amazon.com is a steal.
Brahms: Symphony No. 1
Herbert von Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic
Deutsche Grammophon
Of the many recordings von Karajan made, the one recorded in October 1963 is the best. The flow from beginning to end is seamless. The alert tempos interrelate perfectly without the conductor saying “look at me” rather than at the music. Add plenty of drama, lyricism, and superb engineering for an ideal recording.
WebTips: Don’t buy without checking the date not of the release but of the recording itself. Some of Karajan’s later efforts are quite soggy. At the moment, the 1963 recording is available in DG’s “Originals” series paired with Schumann’s Symphony No. 1. If you’re lucky, you may find an earlier release in DG’s “Musikfest” series where it’s paired with an ebullient recording of Schumann’s Overture, Scherzo, and Finale.
