# #12 - Horenstein conducting VSO - Dvorak - Symphony No. 9



## Lord Lance (Nov 4, 2013)

Because the last two records pampered me with their modern, crystal clear sound, I decided to ground myself with a mono recording from the great Jascha Horenstein conducting Dvorak's Ninth Symphony - a populist work, but a good one at that.










The decision was partially prompted by this very rare recording being uploaded by one of his fervent fans.

Horenstein was a master Mahlerian and Brucknerian and his Bruckner 9 is a very good recording. It cannot be recommended however because of the sheer size of competition and sound. For fans of live recordings: Go for it.

The recording dates from 1954 and was released on Vox Legends. Being no Decca or DG, the sound isn't anything to hark about but respectable. In certain sections, you can see the work testing the limits of the recording technology.

The work itself, much like Bruckner 9, has been recorded/performed/re-recorded/re-performed/re-re-recorded only to fall flat to the re-record [Yes, it is what it is.] many times.

Horenstein left us with not one but two performances of Dvorak's Ninth Symphony, I've not heard the latter however. Moving onwards to the performance:

There is a raw amount of power and passion in the playing. Like it is their last performance with Horenstein. You can see they giving it their best. And it shows. The performance is pleasant. Satisfying. Fulfilling and punchy climaxes, never too slow or too fast, not many slip-and-falls. The first movement's ending see a brief period of slowing down but as we approach the climax, they thunder their way through it. There is passion and even electric charges. But most of all, a love for the work. Its difficult to describe but you feel as though the Wiener Symphoniker are enjoying themselves. Compared to some tamer finales or more "controlled", this one lets it all loose and it makes it all the more _orgasmic_.

Is the performance fantastic? Yes. Should you buy it? No and yes. No if you want only one, yes if you've got mono fetish. Yes if you are interested in Horenstein. No because the sound is awful and there is a swathe of splenid performance - better played with better orchestra with better technology with better halls.

Performances like these establish Horenstein's legacy as one of the true greats in the Parthenon of Great Conductors.

Final Remark: Specialist Category.

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Recommended Performance:

Ah, the Dvorak's Ninth Symphony. So many to choose from. How does one decide? Simple:









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Enough said!*


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