Ah....Munch and the BSO! Like champagne and cavier, isn't it? I never heard a Munch BSO recording that I didn't find compelling; his combination of driving passion and the BSO's smooth sound and razor precision certainly produced much to gush about!
Admittedly though, we really don't associate Munch with Richard Strauss but here we have an "on the edge of your seat" performance of Don Quixote featuring the great Gregor Piatigorsky with BSO greats Richard Burgin and Joseph DePasquale lending impeccable support. This Don Quixote is unlike any other you know and you probably know well Karajan, Beecham, Reiner and Kempe to name a few. It's subtleties are few but Munch manages to steer this music on, avoiding sections that, in the wrong hands, can, and will bore the listener. I've always found this large tone poem the most difficult to engage myself in but Munch's performance kept me focused throughout.
So..maybe not a version for everyone, but still, a reminder of Charles Munch as a presence and a personality who had definite ideas and COULD communicate them to an orchestra, achieving sparkling though sometimes controversial results.
Enjoy this 1953 RCA recording.
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