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Title: Overrated
Review: I never quite understood the reason for the reputation Bernstein's recordings of Mahler enjoy. Almost all symphonies in this set are performed correctly from the technical stand-point but the real musical issues are not resolved appropriately. As an example one may consider the passages that symbolize vulgarity in music. These are key points in Mahler's symphonies but Bernstein conducts them with a breadth and solemnity that makes them and the rest of the music sound ridiculous. Such an approach inverts the composer's intentions and, ironically, lends support to those early detractors of Mahler who accused him of cheap tricks and triviality.
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