You would never guess from these vital, imaginative, and joyful performances that the conductor in charge was 90 years old. “In charge” are the operative words for Leopold Stokowski, who indeed was nine decades young at the time of these 1972 recordings. The Enigma Variations (Stoki’s only recording of this warhorse) stems from concert performances given, according to Edward Johnson’s annotations, without benefit of adequate rehearsal time. The tiny ensemble gaffes, though, are inconsequential in light of the Czech musicians’ colorful playing, especially from the magical woodwinds. As you might expect, Stoki’s Brahms First abounds with rhetorical touches, sundry tempo modifications, and gushing bass lines. Decca’s Phase Four sonics, however, provide a more convincing soundstage for the conductor’s conception than the skewed balances marring his All-American and Hollywood Bowl mono versions. This is a marvelous CD. [10/5/1999]
