DVD0466. CHARLES MÜNCH Cond. Boston S.O.: Symphony in d (Franck); Pelléas et Mélisande – Concert Suite (Fauré); Die Meistersinger – Act III Excerpts (Wagner). (Germany) ICA ICAD 5015, Live Performances, 1959-61. - 5060244550155

CRITIC REVIEWS:

“Along with Pierre Monteux, Münch pretty much ‘owned’ the Franck Symphony; it’s hard to think of a later interpreter who approached their mastery, let alone topped it. The performance Münch leads here makes the piece sound like something Beethoven might have produced if he’d had a ‘French Period’. From the ominous introduction to the first movement, to the blistering allegro, to the movement’s wild final pages, Münch leaves no doubt that this work, for him at least, is one of the great masterpieces….The BSO plays with a rich, dark-hued, organ-like tone with burnished brass, fruity woodwinds, and lustrous strings….In the 1950s…[the Boston S.O.] was a spectacular ensemble of virtuosos, led by Charles Münch, and fully deserving of its place in the Big Five. Looking much like a trimmer, rather more stylish Carl Sandburg, ‘Le beau Charles’ was BSO music director from 1950 to 1963….Furtwängler meets Toscanini, with balance and proportion that can only be Münch. The BSO plays brilliantly….Balances seem quite good, much like what we know from Münch’s commercial recordings.”

- Lawrence Hansen, AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE, Sept./Oct., 2011



“It’s difficult to articulate what makes Münch’s conducting special – or indeed if there even is anything identifiably unique about it. A lesser talent would simply turn out generic, cookie-cutter performances; but Münch was anything but generic. He was one of the most musical of conductors; in so many of his performances, everything simply sounds ‘right’. Certainly, his experience as an orchestral musician gave him a lot of practical insight into the mechanics of directing orchestra traffic. But a classic Münch interpretation never sounds calculated. Spontaneity was one of his hallmarks, sometimes to the surprise and discomfort of the musicians playing under him. From one night to the next, a Münch performance of the same piece might be very different, depending on his mood of the moment – yet it would always sound like Münch.”

- Lawrence Hansen, AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE, Nov./Dec., 2012



“Charles Münch served in the German Army in WWI, but was a staunch defender of the French Resistance in WWII. Münch was a violinist by training (concertmaster under Walter and Fürtwangler) and did not take up conducting until his 40s. He conducted in Europe at the beginning and end of his career, but made his biggest mark as Director of the Boston Symphony from 1949 to 1962. Perhaps owing to his many years as an orchestral player, he was a relaxed conductor, contrasting sharply with the dictatorial tendencies of both his predecessor Koussevitzky and hus successor Leinsdorf….In Boston, Münch was particularly admired for his French music, especially Berlioz, Debussy, and Ravel.”

- Paul L. Althouse, AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE, Nov./Dec., 2012



“Access to the publicly broadcast BSO concerts from this era has been extremely difficult, even for researchers. This series of DVDs will make these performances available for the first time since they were broadcast. Münch launched the BSO into television in 1955. He was an immensely popular conductor and well suited to being filmed. This material represents some of the earliest televised concerts with the Boston Symphony and Charles Münch, and has been restored using the greatest care and state-of-the-art techniques. It is of exceptional musical interest and historical value. ‘Münch handles the Wagner in a masterly, memorable and deeply human manner, with great depth of tone and feeling.’ (Richard Dyer). Fauré’s PELLÉAS AND MÉLISANDE is quintessentially French, repertoire for which Münch was best known – his recordings of French repertoire remain a permanent standard of reference. The Fauré was performed by Münch and the BSO no fewer than 23 times between 1947 and 1966, and according to the announcer, William Pierce, proceeds like ‘well-bred discourse’.”