James Levine leads a fleet and efficient Beethoven Seventh, with brisk tempos, crisp, tidy phrasing, and no repeats whatsoever. The Munich Philharmonic responds with playing of considerable energy and alacrity, especially in the finale, which generates appreciable excitement. But these are qualities that can be found in many a Symphony No. 7 performance, and unlike Wand, Bernstein, Szell, or Harnoncourt, Levine’s is not so individual or distinguished an interpretation that you simply must hear it for yourself.
Wagner, however, is a composer with whom Levine has made his mark, particularly in the Ring cycle. For this Siegfried third-act concert performance Levine features James Morris (the star of his Metropolitan Opera production) as The Wanderer, as well Linda Watson (Brünnhilde), Ben Heppner (Siegfried), and Brigitta Svendén (Eva). All sing beautifully, with the requisite Wagnerian heft and dramatic utterance. The Munich Philharmonic offers robust and richly sonorous playing. The live recording has good dynamic range and clarity but is a little shy on solidity and presence. Now, the question is: do you really want only Act 3 of Siegfried? Admittedly it does contain the opera’s most compelling music, and if that’s all you need (without the printed texts), then you’ll be satisfied. Otherwise, this release is purely for concert souvenir collectors.
