Search - Antonin Dvorak, Cesar Franck, Willem Mengelberg :: Symphony 9 New World / Symphony in D Minor

Willem Mengelberg was the prototypical arch-Romantic conductor, taking freedoms more common to an earlier age. In part, that accounts for the enduring fascination of his interpretations, which, however odd-sounding to modern ears, can often result in compelling performances that make listeners hear familiar works anew. The Franck, with its own Romantic excesses, doesn't always respond well to an approach full of arbitrary tempo changes, but Mengelberg tempers the work's lushness with a hard-driving performance that generates excitement. The Dvorák is also driven hard, but there are luscious pauses to smell the flowers. Bryan Crimp's transfers of the mediocre original recordings from 1940-1941, are first-rate, helping to make this release attractive to Mengelberg's many fans and collectors of historical recordings. --Dan Davis