While this 20-disc set doesn’t quite comprise William Steinberg’s “complete” EMI recordings (among the missing are Tchaikovsky’s Fifth symphony and William Schuman’s Symphony for Strings), it still conveys a fairly well-rounded picture of the conductor’s first years during his long tenure as the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s music director, together with his EMI output at the helm of London’s Philharmonia Orchestra during its 1950s peak.
At his best Steinberg was an exciting, stylish, and highly communicative podium presence, comfortable in all areas of the repertoire, and a sympathetic concerto collaborator. These recordings are well worth hearing, once you get past drab, dynamically constricted mono sonics in the earlier sessions, along with occasionally lusterless sustained string playing and rough ensemble patches.
Steinberg’s Bruckner Fourth has tremendous drive in the outer movements and uncommonly clear contrapuntal interplay, notwithstanding a few gawky, unsubtle tempo gearshifts. Brisk tempos and incisive articulation characterize Steinberg’s handling of Beethoven’s Third, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Symphonies, along with Brahms’ First, Tchaikovsky’s Sixth, and some uncommonly terse and line-oriented Wagner (especially the Siegfried Idyll and Parsifal Good Friday Spell).
Stravinsky’s Le sacre du printemps lacks the vivid detail and virtuoso finesse distinguishing other mono-era versions such as Monteux/Boston, Markevitch/Philharmonia, and Dorati/Minneapolis. However, Ravel’s La Valse and myriad Russian showpieces such as Tchaikovsky’s Capriccio italien and Marche slave, Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain, and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Overture to Le Coq d’Or count among these works’ most vivid and well-characterized traversals on disc. Steinberg’s gaunt and clear Elgar Enigma Variations, Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 (with Rudolf Firkusny), plus the Mahler First and Mendelssohn “Scotch” symphonies were strong catalog contenders in their day.
According to Mark Kluge’s informative booklet annotations, a tempo disagreement in rehearsal led to violinist Nathan Milstein’s falling out with Steinberg in 1962. Fortunately this happened years after they completed their extensive recorded concerto collaborations, which still stand the test of time. Other surprises include an absolutely lovely, lithe, and virile Mozart Eine Kleine Nachtmusik–who knew? Ultimately this collection may appeal more to specialists than to general music lovers, yet its modest cost certainly entices. Will Universal Classics follow suit and comprehensively reissue all of the Steinberg/Pittsburgh recordings for the Command label at a bargain price?
