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Title: Bernstein's best
Review: This is Mahler and Bernstein at their finest. Worth every penny. In fact, I would have paid much more. The performances (while not all flawless) are energetic, emotional, beautiful and intense, with not a detail of the scores missed and not a note played without importance. The soloists and choirs are superb, and the video work in the various venues is excellent. DG has also done a great job in cleaning up the original tapes for far superior sound and video to some earlier releases.Also, the documentary/rehearsal disc provides unique insight not only into the methods of Bernstein, and the music of Mahler (both in the actual rehearsals, and Bernstein's analyses and commentary), but interestingly into the arrogance of the Vienna Philharmonic. It's very interesting watching them resist Bernstein's emotionalism in rehearsal, but really letting go over time in performance.Well worth it.
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