"This record originates from the early 1950s and held its own in the catalogue for many years. It still strikes me as a performance of great warmth and has more spontaneity, I think, than Horenstein's recent version with the LSO, admirable though that is in so many respects... I must confess that despite the poor recording I have derived more pleasure from listening to this warm-hearted and well-judged reading than I have from many of the more recent versions." - The Gramophone, 1971
So, a great performance - as you'd expect from Horenstein's Mahler - but in less than stellar sound? Not any longer, thanks to this new XR remastering for Pristine by Andrew Rose. Misha Horenstein, who has contributed sleevenotes, had this to say when he first heard this new remaster:
"Excellent, more resonance in the low frequencies, less strident and harsh in the upper ones, with clear mid-range definition and an alluring spaciousness and immediacy that wasn't there before. This was always a problematic recording because of its boxy, congested sound, so your restoration is a real spring clean, like clearing out years of accumulated grime."