Comparatively speaking, there’s nothing particularly characterful here. Jascha Horenstein paces the first movement with urgency and clarity, generating considerable excitement at the climaxes–but then, so do Karjan, Szell, Leibowitz, and countless others. The scherzo goes at a decent clip, and in the Adagio Horenstein adopts a smoothly flowing tempo, keeping the structure taut. The same holds true throughout the finale, whose unflagging energy is particularly effective in the long choral sections. Very good. But again, the other conductors accomplish the same thing, and most have a better chorus and quartet of soloists (tenor Julius Patzak’s shockingly clipped phrasing indicates problems with his breath control). Plus, when you factor in the markedly superior playing of the Berlin Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, etc., this Horenstein disc just doesn’t sound competitive today, especially with its inferior mono sound. (For those who think I’m biased toward stereo, I just as easily could throw in Toscanini’s last NBC version or Furtwängler/Lucerne, both of which also sport first rate playing and recording.) In short, unless you’re a dedicated Horenstein fan, there’s little here to justify adding this disc to your collection.
