This disc preserves the
Salzburg Festival debut of the
Dimitri Mitropoulos in August 1954. The Greek-born conductor studied in Berlin in the '20s but had left Europe for America in the '30s where, after a dramatic debut with the
Boston Symphony and a long tenure with the
Minneapolis Symphony, he became music director of the
New York Philharmonic. Finally, in 1954,
Mitropoulos came to Europe and made his high-profile debut at the
Salzburg Festival with the
Vienna Philharmonic and he blew away the audience, the critics, and his fellow musicians. Indeed,
Wilhelm Furtwängler, only months away from death, recommended to the festival management that they re-engage
Mitropoulos, leading to an association that lasted until the latter's death in 1960.
Listeners unfamiliar with
Mitropoulos will be staggered and stunned by his performances from August 21, 1954. There never was and there never will be anything like
Mitropoulos: his combination of linear intensity, impeccable balances, electrifying tempos, concentrated expressivity, and endless impetuosity surpassed any other conductor who ever lived. His
Schumann Second is harrowing, exhilarating, and emotionally exhausting. His
Prokofiev Fifth is lyric, dramatic, epic, and immensely moving. While these performances abound with slips, flubs, and burbles, their sheer passion overwhelms any possible objections. Orfeo's sound is hard, tough, and honest. ~ James Leonard, All Music Guide
