At his death in October 1990, Leonard Bernstein left a legacy of video footage so vast it will take years to exhaust. Mahler: Symphony No. 5 is fairly typical late Bernstein: nakedly emotional, expansive in tempo and scope, and balanced in a way that illuminates orchestrational subtleties and revels in splashier textures. He elicits a passionate, rich-textured performance from the Vienna Philharmonic.
Director Humphrey Burton relies heavily on predictable close-ups of instruments and fingers, but he also knows when to shine a spotlight on Bernstein, capturing the magic of the conductor's podium manner — an extroverted style that leaves conflicting impressions of supreme control and complete abandon. B+
Add your comment
The rules: Keep it clean, and stay on the subject or we might delete your comment. If you see inappropriate language, e-mail us. An asterisk * indicates a required field.