For wall-to-wall angst with a touch of Hollywood thrown in, it has to be Leonard Bernstein. This live recording is the finer of the two he made, with far superior sound quality . . . Bernstein wears his Mahlerian heart on his sleeve . . . [the Andante] almost drowns in aching nostalgia. Bernstein then really comes into his own in the vast finale, which has rarely sounded so overwhelming -- one is left utterly drained. This is the "hottest" account of the Sixth Symphony on disc . . .

Bernstein ist der Erfinder der Mahler-Renaissance. Der Freigeist hat das Chaos in den Noten emotional geordnet -- eine eindrucksvolle Klangwelt.