Both of these 1955 Beethoven symphony performances are new to RCA’s Living Stereo series, although JVC brought out a limited-edition audiophile pressing of the Fifth with its original Schubert “Unfinished” coupling. There’s little to distinguish Charles Munch’s Fifth among numerous other solid, professional, well-played, well-recorded versions crowding the catalog. You won’t find Kleiber’s nervous energy, the acute linear clarity distinguishing Dorati (Mercury) and Bernstein (Sony), or Vanskä’s fastidious detailing and emotional generosity. What you will find is Munch’s Boston Symphony Orchestra on the job, delivering the goods directly with no fuss and no frills. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
However, the conductor and orchestra’s collective personalities truly catch fire in the “Pastoral”. Following bracing, fluent accounts of the first two movements, the real fun begins. Munch takes the “Jolly gathering of country folk” at a giddy, urgent clip that inspires the first-desk instrumentalists to play the daylights out of their solos. The storm is nothing if torrential, replete with terrifying drum whacks and piccolo shrieks, leading into a supple, elegantly phrased finale. True, Munch was stingy with repeats, and that may bother some collectors; but given that these are 50-year-old recordings, should we care? RCA’s transfers from the original two-track master tapes sound well via conventional CD playback. SACD playback adds a touch more vibrancy and background hiss. [9/7/2005]
