Search - Franz Liszt, Leonard Bernstein, Boston Symphony Orchestra :: Liszt: Faust-Symphony / Bernstein, Riegel, Boston Symphony Orchestra

Heroic

J. Buxton | Waltham, MA United States | 04/25/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I assume since Bernstein made two commercial recordings of this work that it held some special meaning for him. This later version benefits from slightly better sound quality and a more mature interpretation, even though his earlier account with the New York Philharmonic on Sony is also very good. There is some really involving music here, probably some of the best Liszt ever wrote and Bernstein and the BSO take every opportunity to reveal the detail in the score. The sound from Symphony Hall in Boston is very satisfying and this version has been improved by the remastering of the original source tapes to be reissued by DG. It is certainly one of the finest recorded versions of this work."

Grand Faust

Plaza Marcelino | Caracas Venezuela | 05/09/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This must qualify amongst the better recordings avaliable of any orchestral work by Liszt. Bernstein gives an exhuberant, powerful performance, extracting from his Boston players matching prowess. The recording quality serves the approach well, taking full advantage of the superior accoustics of the venue (Symphony Hall, Boston) in a very realistic perspective; you'll hear the BSO grimace, explode in anger, whisper lyrically and change abruptly from one mood to another, in a recording with a very wide recording range that serves this score of extremes very fittingly. Bernstein excelled in this kind of repertoire, he was especially gifted to conduct these romantinc works that explored the full range of emotional writing as well as that of the orchestral capabilities of the day. Liszt's harmonical experimenting and programmatical proposals played a key role in what came after him (Wagner, Mahler) and Bernstein always approached his works with that special quality in mind. So, if you agree with this attitude, you'll like this Faust Symphony, excellently remastered by DG for their "Originals" series."

Bernstein works his magic--lead turns into gold

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 11/05/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This 1976 performance from Symphony Hall in Bosotn won the Grand Prix du Disque two years later, and one immediately hears why. Liszt's Faust Symphony is vulgarity masquerading as high art, and Bernstein had a gift for taking leaden works of banality (e.g., Shostakovich's Seventh Sym.) and turning them to gold. He accomplishes this by slowing down a great deal--at 77 min. his reading is almost 10 min. slower than either Rattle's or Chailly's--so that a sense of mystery can develop.



In the faster, more bombastic parts Bernstein is sitll comparatively slow, but as the opening to "Mephistopheles" shows, he knows how to add the zing of eeriness in string slides (a la Berlioz in the Witches Sabbath finale of the Symphonie Fantastique). Perhaps the "Gretchen" scond movement is not as tender or played with as much finesse as one hears from Rattle and Chailly. Bernstein's slow tempo is just a bit too lingering here.



DG's close-up sonics can't rival EMI's digital sound for Rattle or Decca's for Chailly, but it's quite good anyway. Rattle and Chailly share the besetting sin of being too restrained at exactly those moments when Bernstein knows how to titillate and excite us. This is a clear first choice for a Faust Symphony in modern sound. (It's also better in sound and execution than Bernstein's earlier Sony recording from New York.)"