Customer Reviews

Mendelssohn: Symphonies No.4, Italian & No. 5, Reformation ~ Munch

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Charles Munch tends to be classified as primarily a marvelous conductor of French music, which indeed he was. But he was able to do central Austro-German repertoire well, too, and here is an example of that. Granted Mendelssohn in his lightest moods could sound almost French, but he still was German to the core, and these two symphonies could not have been written by anyone but a German. So how do Munch and the Boston Symphony (long known as America's 'French orchestra' during the time it was playing under Munch and Pierre Monteux) fare in these symphonies? Very well, thank you very much. This is supple, nuanced, joyful, light but not trivial Mendelssohn. Munch's Italian Symphony is full of piss and vinegar. The performance of the Reformation is not dour as it can sometimes be; I've always felt that if one simply played the Reformation as Mendelssohn wrote it and left behind the implied Germanic stolidity, it would sound better. Munch does that, and it does come alive. I've known these recordings in their plain vanilla stereo form for years and can tell you that the sound the emanates from my speakers in these refurbished SACD versions is better than ever. These are three-track recordings and they give the orchestra a lifelike sound-stage with believable separation, excellent balance and depth of sound. I'm very pleased with both the performances and the presentation. The mid-price is nice, too.

Scott Morrison

Mendelssohn may have written only five symphonies, but the last three are some of the greatest ever written. This recording with Charles Munch conducting is an absolute delight. The performances are energetic and beautifully balanced and the sound quality is superb. How could RCA turn out such great sounding recordings in the fifties, when all the big companies especially DGG, turned out such horrors in the sixties and seventies? I recommend this recording to anyone that loves classical music whether they are a novice or an expert.

Charles Munch wasn't a notable conductor of the German classics despite his Alsatian heritage, but he was sympathetic to Mendelssohn, apparently, and whenever he felt sympahty, Munch could be magical. Here his style is genial and relaxed. Instead of the usual display of orchestral speed and precision, his Italian Sym. is played for sunny good humor. It works very well. The BSO sounds luscious on this hybrid SACD of a good Living Stereo original.

The Reformation Sym. has always been a problem, since one must decide whether to respect Mendelssohn's Victorian piety--the work was written to commemorate Martin Luther--or to revert to the natural vivacity and lightness of his early style. Munch chooses the latter, thank goodnes, and imparts rare good humor to a frankly humorless work. The sound is just as good as in the Italian, which makes up for a lot of blustery recordings of this piece from ohter conductors--I'd say if anyone was ever going to actually love the Reformation, Munch's reading is the one that will win them over.