Koussevitzky/Wagner (Boston Symphony Orchestra/ Mark Obert-Thorn/ Serge Koussevitzky) (Naxos Historical: 8.111283)

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Serge Koussevitzky's tenure of the Boston Symphony lasted from 1924 to 1949, a notable time during the orchestra's history, owing to adventurous programming and wide-ranging commissions. The recordings on this release, made between 1946 and 1949, are representative of Koussevitzky's final years with the orchestra and, although the conductor was in his early to mid-seventies, lack nothing for energy. The opening of the 'Overture to The Flying Dutchman' inspires a typically dramatic and intense performance. Intimacy abounds in 'Siegfried Idyll', a lyrically shaped account with a gentle degree of forward thrust, beguiling strings and characterful woodwind solos. Brahms's 'Academic Festival Overture' is given a lusty outing but not without light and shade, proof yet again that Koussevitzky's conducting rarely if ever was without a sense of theatre and effective point-making.