With a more virtuoso orchestra and a less cavernous recorded sound, these performances could have been memorable. Dutch conductor Eduard van Beinum knew how to generate tension and build up a climax. In these recordings from 1948 (Bartók) and 1946 (Stravinsky) he gives to every phrase an almost sculptural relief and shape. His attention to orchestral color and timbre, and his accurate dynamics and lively (though not always steady) tempos demonstrate that a “modern” sensibility is at work here. Unfortunately, the Concertgebouw Orchestra of the immediate post-war years doesn’t even come close to today’s ensemble. Though partly compensated by van Beinum’s energy and precision, the sloppiness of the playing is disturbing. There are many “accidents” (notably from the solo trumpet in the Finale of the Bartok Concerto), occasional out of tune phrases, and entire sections where the brass seems to have had too much to drink. Overall, the Bartok Concerto receives a more controlled performance than does the Rite of Spring, allowing van Beinum’s intentions to be realized with some clarity. Even with Dutton’s heavily worked out transfers, the distant, opaque, and unfocused recording (the timpani sound as if played in a distant cave) makes this release an exclusive collector’s item.
