No less a musical authority than composer/author/educator Gunther Schuller, in his provocative book The Compleat Conductor, hails Antal Dorati as one of the great Beethoven interpreters, and if the first Mercury Beethoven release containing Symphonies 5 and 6 lent credence to this assertion, then the present issue offers proof beyond all reasonable doubt. These are stunning performances of the Seventh symphony and three spectacular overtures, and they succeed for exactly the reasons that Schuller enumerates. Dorati chooses ideal tempos for each movement, he balances the ensemble in such a way that the players can observe every dynamic nuance without sacrificing clarity, and he’s a monster when it comes to rhythm–the violins in the Seventh’s first movement must have been going through sheer hell! Dorati’s achievement is all the more remarkable when you consider that the London Symphony Orchestra in the late 1950s and early 1960s was a pretty sad sounding bunch. Here, they surpass themselves, as has Wilma Cozart Fine in restoring these performances to mint condition for release on CD. Bravo! [10/2/1999]
