I was prepared to write a longer review when I came to this site and found the review by M. Brownfield already in place. He says much the same I would have said except I didn't find the sound quite as objectionable as he did. This is Bernstein/IPO Brahms so you must be prepared for a bit of schmaltz, not laid on with a trowel but there nonetheless. There are those who prefer the sound of the Israel Philharmonic -- rich, vibratoed, even heavy at times -- to the leaner sound we are getting these days from other orchestras. And if that's your dish, and Bernstein's style fits with it after all, then this might be the DVD of the Brahms Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3 for you.
All that said, I enjoyed it but don't know that I'll be reaching for it very often.
The videography is fine. It tends to focus either on Bernstein or on two-shots of players. Humphrey Burton, the director, knows what he's doing and the videography is 'musical' if I can be allowed to call it that. There is nothing distracting about it. The live concert was filmed in the Great Concert Hall in Jerusalem in 1973 and was originally released on VHS the following year by Unitel. It is released here by Euroarts. Sound is not current state of the art and is available in LPCM Stereo and Dolby 5.1. It is also listed as being in DTS 5.1, which I did not use, but it is hard to imagine that it would have improved the sound all that much.
Scott Morrison
