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Title: Very eccentric Fantastique, other selections fine
Review: Leonard Bernstein made many fine recordings, but this is not one of them. The bells in the Witches' Sabbath are really ugly...almost dissonant and way too high in notes. Too bad they didn't use bells that more closely resembled funeral tolls. And the March to the Scaffold, my favorite part of the Symphonie, sounds terrible. The Ball is okay. Overall, the whole thing sounds like Bernstein set out to make this recording sound unique. I have not heard Bernstein's earlier attempt at the Fantastique, but they say that it was much better. Previn and the LSO do a good job with Harold in Italy and the Overtures.
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