This new remastering of Bernstein’s 1964 New York Philharmonic Beethoven 1st boasts greater presence, definition, and clarity than its previous CD incarnations. After an unusually broad introduction, the opening movement moves with brash confidence and sonorous brio. In contrast to the graceful Andante cantabile, Bernstein brings weighty vigor to the concluding movements, with crisp articulation and forceful accents. Less successful, though, is Bernstein’s 1958 Beethoven 7th. While the impactive miking makes for a more colorful orchestral image than the conductor’s 1968 remake, the latter is better controlled rhythmically (markedly so in the outer movements) and more suavely played. Moreover, Bernstein channels his expressive desires with greater economy from the podium. Still, the 1958 Seventh has a wide-eyed vitality not always matched by the conductor’s 1979 Vienna traversal, and totally absent from his painful valedictory Seventh with the Boston Symphony (his last pubic performance). Tim Page’s booklet notes are succinct and informative.
