Beethoven: Symphony No. 1; Coriolan & Egmont Overtures; Leonore Overture No. 3

On this CD:

1. Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven

Conducted by Otto Klemperer

2. Coriolan Overture, Op. 62
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven

Conducted by Otto Klemperer

3. Egmont, incidental music, Op. 84
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven

Conducted by Otto Klemperer

4. Leonore Overture No. 2 in C major, Op. 72a
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven

Conducted by Otto Klemperer

Tracks:

I: Adagio Molto - Allegro Con Brio
II: Andante Cantabile Con Moto
III: Menuetto & Trio: Allegro Molto E Vivace
IV: Adagio - Allegro Molto E Vivace
I: Allegro Ma Non Troppo
II: Andante Molto Mosso
III: Allegro - In Tempo D'allegro - Tempo I
IV: Allegro
V: Allegretto

Tracks:

I: Allegro Con Brio
II: Marcia Funebre: Adagio Assai
III: Scherzo & Trio: Allegro Vivace
IV: Finale: Allegro Molto - Poco Andante - Presto
Gross Fuge

Tracks:

I: Adagio Molto - Allegro Con Brio
II: Larghetto
III: Scherzo & Trio: Allegro
IV: Allegro Molto
I: Allegro Con Brio
II: Andante Con Moto - Piu Mosso - Tempo I
III: Allegro -
IV: Allegro - Presto

Tracks:

I: Adagio - Allegro Vivace
II: Adagio
III: Menuetto: Allegro Vivace - Trio: Un Poco Meno Allegro
IV: Allegro Ma Non Troppo
I: Poco Sostenuto - Vivace
II: Allegretto
III: Presto - Assai Meno Presto
IV: Allegro Con Brio

Tracks:

I: Allegro Vivace Con Brio
II: Allegretto Scherzando
III: Tempo Di Menuetto
IV: Allegro Vivace
Overture
Overture
Overture
Overture

Tracks:

I: Allegro Non Troppo, Un Poco Maestoso - Christa Ludwig
II: Molto Vivace - Presto - Christa Ludwig
III: Adagio Molto E Cantabile - Andante Moderato - Christa Ludwig
IV: Presto - Recitativo - Allegro Assai - Alla Marcia - Christa Ludwig
Overture - Christa Ludwig

Tracks:

I: Allegro Con Brio
II: Largo
III: Rondo: Allegro Scherzando
I: Allegro Con Brio
II: Adagio
III: Rondo: Molto Allegro

Tracks:

I: Allegro Con Brio
II: Largo
III: Rondo: Allegro
I: Allegro Moderato
II: Andante Con Moto
III: Rondo: Vivace

Tracks:

Fantasia For Piano, Chorus And Orchestra
I: Allegro
II: Adagio Un Poco Mosso -
III: Rondo: Allegro

Amazon.com essential recording

Otto Klemperer's Beethoven is one of the towering achievements in the history of recordings. By today's standards, these performances are hopelessly old-fashioned: dark, heavy, and frequently very slow. But they are also the grandest, most unsentimental, most purposeful versions in the catalog. In addition, the relatively slow tempos (only in the fast movements--the slow ones are pretty swift) and forward wind balance permit more detail to be heard than in most original-instrument performances. At budget price and with the entire piano concerto cycle thrown in for good measure, this is greatness incarnate. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

Great Performance.......2007-07-07

There are many different ways to perform Beethoven and each one is valid.
If you like it fast - go to Toscanini or Norrington. If you prefer slow, powerful and majestic, this is your set. Towards the end of his distinguished career, the great Otto Klemperer set down his final views of the performance of these symphonnies. The set is a coherent whole and will give great pleasure for ever. The challenging mix of the young Barenboim and the aged Klemperer worked surprisingly well and thus the concertos may also be recommended. There are odd additional items which add to the pleasure. Finally do not forget to purchase his memorable set of 'Fidelio' to complete your traversal of a great conductor giving great performances of a composer that he loved. Finally the price is ridiculously low and provides quality and quantity at a great price. Thus you should be able to buy the opera set from the savings made!

Great Analog Beethoven Cycle.......2007-05-07

This Klemperer cycle is just one of a dozen or so GREAT analog Beethoven symphony cycles that were recorded during Analog's golden age starting about 1958. These cycles are easily a match for digital and they should still be around for another 1,000 years, if the Lord tarries. These sets include: Karajan (twice, early 60s and late 70s) Bohm, Krips, Jochum, Bruno Walter, Leinsdorf, Rene Leibowitz, Szell, Ormandy, Bernstein, Steinberg, and Solti. This morning I listened to the Klemperer recordings of Beethoven's symphonies 5, 6, & 7. Very enjoyable, I got my Beethoven RDA fix.

Of all these Analog sets, I most enjoy the Leibowitz Spring 1961 cycle with the Royal Philharmonic. I have this cycle on an audiophile early 90s European import Edition Phoenix label special pressing "on extra virgin vinyl." These are by far the best analog symphonic lps I have ever heard from a recording standpoint. BY FAR! And they will rock your house.

You can almost justify Karajan's 4 recorded Beethoven cycles and one video based upon improvements in recording technology. Thru Rhapsody, I have listened to his mid 50s cycle and the orchestra sounds great, but the recording quality is sub par compared to Analog's golden age. So the rational for 4 cycles would be, (1) recent great improvements in recording technology (early 60s), (2) it has been 15 years and he has grown as an artist (late 70s), (3) we now have digital! Let's do one of the first Beethoven digital cycles (80s).

Klemperer is a no-brainer. I do not have to think twice about plopping one of his lps onto my turntable or hitting the play button at Rhapsody. When the music starts, the listening pleasure begins. Don't miss his Bruckner symphony recordings!

An essential collection.......2007-04-25

How best to describe Otto Klemperer's perspective on Beethoven's symphonies: grand, heroic, intense, insightful, stubborn, obstinate, detailed, dramatic, monumental, granitic, deeply emotional, never sentimental. This boxed set of the complete symphonies and concerti embodies all of these elements as stands as one of the great achievements of recorded music.

These performances were recorded with the Philharmonia Orchestra at its peak, in the sumptuous acoustics of Kingsway Hall in London and in fine and detailed sound, and mostly in the mid-1950's during one of the brief charmed periods of Klemperer's life. EMI's impresario Walter Legge had made him permanent conductor of the Philharmonia, and when Klemperer embarked on this project in his 70's, he was in relatively good mental and physical health (Klemperer could show symptoms of manic depression and survived many health crises - brain tumor, broken bones, paralysis - which would have stopped most people).

By this time Klemperer had slowed the tempi of the fast movements of the Beethoven symphonies (listen to his early 1950's recordings of the 5th and 6th on Vox to hear by how much). This tendency is more pronounced in these studio recordings than in the live performances which were recorded during that era. The slowness is mostly saved by Klemperer's use of "sprung" rhythms, which keep the slow tempi from feeling laggardly.

Klemperer's earliest recordings in this series - symphonies 3, 5 and 7 - predate stereo and were recorded in excellent monaural sound. He rerecorded all three of these symphonies in stereo, but those recordings were made after he burned himself by falling asleep while smoking in bed. All three performances feature slower tempi than the earlier ones (whether this was the conductor's preference or the result of physical incapacity is open to conjecture). In particular, the rerecorded 7th suffered from lax phrasing, inattentiveness and perverse tempi. That is NOT the version contained in this set: fortunately, EMI had simultaneously recorded the earlier version of the 7th in "experimental" stereo, and it is that earlier version which is released here (and in remarkably good stereo). The versions of the 3rd and 5th are the rerecorded stereo ones.

You will find no finer studio versions of the 2nd, 4th, 6th, 7th or 8th. All are insightful, beautifully detailed and powerful. The 2nd clearly looks forward to the 3rd and not back toward Hayden, the 4th is boisterous and vital, the 6th bucolic and sumptuous (not a quality normally associated with Klemperer), the 7th gains in drama what it loses in swiftness and lightness, and in the 8th in particular we see the conductor's empathy to Beethoven's sense of humor. Klemperer had a deep affinity for the "Eroica", and the rerecorded version here, while slower than the 1955 recording, was dubbed by "High Fidelity"'s Harris Goldsmith (no Klemperer fan, he) as "the best Eroica going slow" and is a monumental masterpiece (the second movement is shattering). The 1st, while leisurely, is a lovingly crafted.

That leaves the 5th and 9th. There is no doubt in my mind that the earlier, mono 5th is superior to the remake in this set. We lose that sense of an inevitable onslaught, especially in the outer movements. And the 9th, while similar in conception to the live versions recorded around the same time (on Testament with the Philharmonia and on Music&Arts with the Concertgebouw), suffers from diffuse sound and occasional lack of focus. I emphasize that these recordings of both symphonies are still head and shoulders above most of the competition; we're talking about different levels of greatness here.

Are there superior Klemperer recordings of these symphonies? Yes; but all are live, and despite the relatively good reprocessed sound, they don't reveal the same level of detail that these studio recordings do. Klemperer was a very different conductor in front of an audience, and there is more vitality and drama in the live versions of the 3rd (Testament, with the Danish Symphony), 6th 7th and 8th (Music&Arts with the Concertgebouw) and the 9th (see above). Music&Arts' set of the complete symphonies, recorded live in Vienna in 1960, is long out of print and had cramped sound with poor detail - a supplement to this set, not a replacement.

As to the piano concerti: they are better than one might expect. Barenboim, although steeped in the Germanic performance tradition, is more naturally aligned with the Furtwangler and Edwin Fischer than with Klemperer. However, the two of them actually work together extremely well and this is a fine, insightful set.

Any complete cycle of Beethoven, symphonies or concerti, will have drawbacks. There will be unevenness in the performances, as there are here. But there are advantages to hearing one musician's perspective on the works, especially when (as here) the performer has depth of understanding, integrity of vision, and a structural understanding of the pieces.

The digital remastering is excellent and the sound barely shows its age. This may not be your only complete set of Beethoven's symphonies, but it should be one of them. And at a price this low, it's a bargain too.

The best value in classical music on CD at the moment..........2007-01-02

What is the best value in classical discs available today ? Who knows, but I defy anyone to beat the EMI compilation of Klemperer' recordings of the complete Beethoven Symphonies, Piano Concertos (with Barenboim), several overtures the Choral Fantasia etc etc. 9 discs for only $44 ( well that was the price I paid). You have got to be kidding... I only had two concerns with buying this. First on the age of the recordings, all more than 40 years old. No worry at all. This is a masterpiece of reconstruction. The sound quality indistinguishable from any modern recording. Secondly , the performances themselves. I had been warned that Klemperer notoriously chose rather slow tempi. Again I needn't have worried. I immediately went to the slow movements of the 2nd piano concerto and the fourth symphony, where many slow tempists have in the past come unstuck. The piano concerto was an absolute revelation. The combination of the youthful Barenboim and the Philharmonia's masterful playing time and gain had me on the edge of my seat. " Yes,go on, well...." Slow it may have been. Boring, never. The same applies in spades to the slow movement of the fourth. Right from the eerie opening, which is yes, very slow indeed, I knew this movement would be a revelation and I can honestly say I have never hear it better played. Follow this with a scherzo bounding in energy and thumping finale and you will never get a better performance of this, one of Beethoven's "lesser" symphonies. And I haven't even got round to the "biggies" yet! The box set looks unattractive and the portrait of Klemperer makes him appear a first class nerd. Pay absolutely no attention to this....

Wonderful Performances.......2006-04-07

I have admittedly not made it through the entire set as of yet, but feel sufficiently blown away by the First Symphony and the Eroica - particularly the second movement of the latter - to weigh in here. With respect to the tempo issue, I must - at least so far - argue in favor of Klemperer's decision to slow things down a bit. I think the effect is, as someone else has observed, a clearer and more visceral experience of Beethoven's composition. It brings out the feeling. The sound comes up a little short on the low end, but it isn't a major distraction. My only problem lies in EMI's inexplicable lack of any discussion of the performances. The notes are bland, dry descriptions of the pieces themselves, with some basic history thrown in. Given the fact that there are probably hundreds of different CDs of Beethoven's symphonies out there, all with similar explanatory notes, it is infuriating that nothing is said about these particular performances. This is in contrast with the EMI Bach set (with Yehudi Menuhin) in which there is a wonderful essay that discusses Menuhin's work in historical context.

Average customer rating:

masters of classical music
A good basic collection
An excellent introduction to classical music
Very Beautiful!!!!!1
Still Stuck on Beethoven

Masters of Classical Music (Box Set)

Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000001VU5
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Eine kleine Nachtmusik: Allegro - Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Piano Concerto In A Major, K 488: Adagio - Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Flute Concerto In D Major, K 314: Allegro - Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Symphony No. 40 in G minor: Molto allegro - Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Clarinet Concerto KV 622: Adagio - Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Serenade, K 375: Menuetto - Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Turkish March - Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Violin Concerto, K 216: Allegro - Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Divertimento, K 334: Menuetto - Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Horn Concerto, K 447: Allegro - Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Cassation, K 99: Allegro - Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus

Tracks:

Overture No. 4 In Major: Rejouissance - J.S.Bach
Overture No. 3 In D Major: Air - J.S.Bach
Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 In F Major: I. Allegro - J.S.Bach
Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring - J.S.Bach
Overture No. 2 In B Minor: Menuet & Badinerie - J.S.Bach
Prelude In C Major - J.S.Bach
Toccata And Fugue In D Minor - J.S.Bach
Prelude In C Minor - J.S.Bach
Overture No. 1 In C Major: Passepied - J.S.Bach
Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 In F Major: II. Adagio - J.S.Bach
Kommst du nun, Jesu vom Himmel herunter, Chorale - J.S.Bach
Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 In G Major: II. Allegro - J.S.Bach
Violin Concerto In E Major: I. Adagio - J.S.Bach
St. Matthew Passion: Finale Chorus: 'Wir setzen uns mit Tranen nieder' - J.S.Bach

Tracks:

Symphony No. 5: Allegro con brio - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Fur Elise - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Violin Romance No. 2 - Ludwig Van Beethoven
'Moonlight' Sonata: Adagio sostenuto - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Minuet - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Symphony No. 8 In F Major: Allegretto scherzando - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Coriolan: Overture - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Piano Concerto No. 2: Adagio - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Symphony No. 5 In C Minor: Allegro - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Egmont: Overture - Ludwig Van Beethoven

Tracks:

Die Fledermaus: Die Fledermaus (Excerpts) - Johann Strauss
Wine, Woman And Song - Johann Strauss
Tritsch Tratsch Polka - Johann Strauss
The Blue Danube - Johann Strauss
The Gypsy Baron: Introduction - Johann Strauss
Annen Polka - Johann Strauss
Vienna Blood - Johann Strauss
The Gypsy Baron: Einzugsmarsch - Johann Strauss

Tracks:

Tannhauser: Overture - MASTERS OF CLASSICAL MUSIC
Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg: Dance Of The Prentices - MASTERS OF CLASSICAL MUSIC
Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg: Prelude Act 3 - MASTERS OF CLASSICAL MUSIC
Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg: Aufzug der Meistersinger - MASTERS OF CLASSICAL MUSIC
Der fliegende Hollander: Overture - MASTERS OF CLASSICAL MUSIC
Lohengrin: Prelude - MASTERS OF CLASSICAL MUSIC
Tristan und Isolde: Prelude And Liebestod - MASTERS OF CLASSICAL MUSIC
Tannhauser: Arrival Of The Guests At Wartburg - MASTERS OF CLASSICAL MUSIC

Tracks:

Piano Concerto No. 1: Allegro non troppo - Peter Tchaikovsky
String Serenade: Waltz - Peter Tchaikovsky
Violin Concerto: Andante - Peter Tchaikovsky
The Sleeping Beauty: Introduction - Peter Tchaikovsky
The Sleeping Beauty: Pas d'action - Adagio - Peter Tchaikovsky
The Sleeping Beauty: Waltz - Peter Tchaikovsky
Capriccio italien Op. 45 - Peter Tchaikovsky
Swan Lake: Ballet Suite: Scene No. 10 - Peter Tchaikovsky
Swan Lake: Ballet Suite: Waltz - Peter Tchaikovsky
Eugene Onegin: Polonaise - Peter Tchaikovsky

Tracks:

The 4 Seasons: Concerto No. 1 In E Major: Spring - VIVALDI, Antonio
Siciliano - VIVALDI, Antonio
Concerto In D Minor:: (Allegro Assai) Cologne Concerto - VIVALDI, Antonio
The 4 Seasons: Concerto No. 2 In G Minor: Summer - VIVALDI, Antonio
Oboe Sonata In B Flat Major, RV 34: Adagio - Allegro - Largo - Allegro - VIVALDI, Antonio
The 4 Seasons: Concerto No. 3 In F Major: Autumn - VIVALDI, Antonio
Oboe Concerto: Allegro non tasto - Largo - Allegro non molto - VIVALDI, Antonio
Concerto In D Minor: (Largo e spiccato) Cologne Concerto - VIVALDI, Antonio
The 4 Seasons: Concerto No. 4 In F Minor: Winter - VIVALDI, Antonio

Tracks:

Scherzo No 1 In B Minor, Op. 20 - Frederic Chopin_
Three Nocturnes, Op. 9: No 3 In B Major - Frederic Chopin_
Twelve Etudes, Op. 10: No 5 In G Flat Major - Frederic Chopin_
Twelve Etudes, Op. 25: No 10 In B Minor - Frederic Chopin_
24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 13 In F Sharp Major - Frederic Chopin_
24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 14 In E Flat Minor - Frederic Chopin_
24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 15 In D Flat Major 'Raindrops' - Frederic Chopin_
24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 16 In B Flat Minor - Frederic Chopin_
24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 17 In A Flat Major - Frederic Chopin_
24 Preludes, Op. 28: No. 18 In F Minor - Frederic Chopin_
Scherzo No. 2 In B Flat Minor, Op. 31 - Frederic Chopin_
Waltz In E Flat Major, Op. 18 - Frederic Chopin_
Nocturne In C Sharp Minor, Op. Posth. - Frederic Chopin_
Four Mazurkas, Op. 24: No. 3 In A Flat Major - Frederic Chopin_
Four Mazurkas, Op. 24: No. 4 In B Flat Minor - Frederic Chopin_

Tracks:

Ave Maria - Franz Schubert
Impromptu In E Flat Major - Franz Schubert
Standchen - Franz Schubert
Trout Quintet: Tema con variazioni - Franz Schubert
'Rosamunde': Entr'acte No. 1 - Franz Schubert
Moment Musical In A Flat Major - Franz Schubert
'Rosamunde': Entr'acte No. 2 - Franz Schubert
Moment Musical No. 3 In F Minor - Franz Schubert
'Rosamunde': Ballet Music No.2 - Franz Schubert
Symphony No. 8 In B Minor 'Unfinished': Allegro moderato - Franz Schubert

Tracks:

Nabucco: Overture - Verdi, Giuseppe
Nabucco: Va pensiero, sull'ali dorate - Verdi, Giuseppe
Aida: Prelude - Verdi, Giuseppe
II Trovatore: Verdi! le fosche notturne (Gypsies' Chorus) - Verdi, Giuseppe
II Trovatore: Or co' daddi, ma fra poco (Soldiers' Chorus) - Verdi, Giuseppe
Aroldo: Overture - Verdi, Giuseppe
La Traviata: Prelude - Verdi, Giuseppe
La Traviata: Noi siamo zingarelle - Verdi, Giuseppe
La Traviata:: Libiamo ne' lieti calici - Verdi, Giuseppe
La Traviata: Di Madride noi siam mattadori - Verdi, Giuseppe
La forza del destino: Overture - Verdi, Giuseppe

Customer Reviews:

masters of classical music.......2007-03-26

A nice collection for the classical listener. Great variety of composers and the music quality of the cds are very good.

A good basic collection.......2006-11-10

With selections from numerous composers, it is an easy way to familiarize oneself with some of the most popular classical works and excerpts. A pleasant listen for the initiated too.

An excellent introduction to classical music.......2006-10-18

This is an excellent introduction to classical music. Well performed and presented.

Very Beautiful!!!!!1.......2006-10-05

If you are a fan of classical music then you better get this set. Not only is it very cheap, 10 Discs for about 2$ per disk. Now where are you gonna find a deal like this. I actually found mine chaper, $20.00 even and the music is outstanding. If you had a very bad day and very stressed out, just put in one of these cds, lay down, dim down the lights and just relax. It really helped me out.

Still Stuck on Beethoven.......2006-08-22

I just recently started listening to classical music so I'm certainly not one to compare or critique the quality of this set. However, I do have a few comments...

My interest started in this genre of music because I'm researching my ancestry in Prussia and this is the music of those times. Never mind my ancestors were poor peasants who probably never got the chance to hear such wonderful music... when listening to these CDs, I'm taken back in time... to a royal court in Europe... to another place in time. The music is inspiring, relaxing, invigorating.

I have yet to listen to all the CD's in the set. I'm stuck on Beethoven! Wasn't he AWESOME!?!

I think this set is a wonderful introduction to classical music!!!!!

Average customer rating:

Great value!

The Story of Beethoven

Manufacturer: Vox (Classical)
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Release Date: 1995-04-16

Tracks:

Tempo Di Minuetto - Guiomar Novaes
Bach: Two-Part Invention No. 9 - Guiomar Novaes
Minuet in G Major, Wo0 8, 10/2 - Guiomar Novaes
German Dances, Wo0 8, Nos. 1 & 2 - Arthur Hannes
Sonatina, Anh. 5/2 - Guiomar Novaes
Appassionata - Guiomar Novaes
Overture to 'To Creatures of Prometheus,' Op. 43 - Arthur Hannes
Andante Con Moto - Arthur Hannes
Emperor - Guiomar Novaes
Andante Ma Non Troppo - Guiomar Novaes
Allegro Con Brio; Marcia Funebre - Arthur Hannes
Allegro Con Brio; Allegro - Arthur Hannes
Poco Sostenuto - Arthur Hannes
Pastorale (Excerpts) - Arthur Hannes
Allegretto - Arthur Hannes
Leonore Overture No. 3, Op. 72 - Arthur Hannes
Coriolan Overture, Op. 62 - Arthur Hannes
Adagio Sostenuto; Presto Agitato - Guiomar Novaes
Allegro Ma Non Troppo; Presto - Guiomar Novaes
Allegro - Guiomar Novaes
Adagio Un Poco Mosso - Guiomar Novaes
Rondo: Allegro - Guiomar Novaes

Customer Reviews:

Great value!.......2007-01-04

Though I haven't listened to all of the CD's in this series which I ordered, I am very impressed with the ones I have listened to. Very enjoyable and informative, and the price couldn't be any lower!!!

Average customer rating:

Mostly good
Look at the List of Performers First
this "masterworks" series is available much more cheaply from Amazon France
You heard guy below: Beethoven needs the royality checks!
Buy my box Set!

Beethoven: The Masterworks (Box Set)

Manufacturer: Brilliant Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Customer Reviews:

Mostly good.......2007-05-26

A bit of a mixed bag. The symphonies are superb. This is one of the great symphony cycles. The piano sonatas are good, very good (analog) sound. The quartets are well recorded indeed, but there are better cycles out there. The rest is OK, and the sound is genrally good.

Look at the List of Performers First.......2006-11-17

If you want most of Beethoven sitting on one bookshelf, this is a great bargain (especially if you shop for it on amazon.de). But few if any of the performances represent the pinnacles of interpretation that most listeners demand when Beethoven is the composer. The symphonies for instance: can Blomstedt be compared to Furtwangler or (if you lean toward historically informed instrumentation) Gardiner? Most amazingly, the artists who perform the quartets -- the heart of Beethoven's music -- are not even named in the listing.
On the other hand: Vivaldi: The Masterworks is a collection including the very best interpreters, such as Fabio Biondi! Bach Edition (complete Bach) is a fabulous selection of recordings made over 20 years, and almost the same praise can be given the Complete Mozart.

this "masterworks" series is available much more cheaply from Amazon France.......2006-05-28

there are several sets in this series and it's much cheaper to buy these from Amazon France.

included are bach, beethoven, vivaldi, brahms, dvorak, schubert, handel, hayden, and mendelssohn.

they're even cheaper than the list price once u go through the checkout (VAT is removed for overseas (out-of-france) purchases).

**also, the 'complete works of mozart' set is much cheaper there (or at Amazon Germany), too. the 'complete works of bach' is due out later this year.

You heard guy below: Beethoven needs the royality checks! .......2006-04-07

There is quality beyond the Austrian green cardboard (which is lovely to look at, to say the least). In fact, the performance of the symphonies (Dresden Staatskapelle and Herbert Blomstedt) is alone worth the price. The Staatskapelle is a solid group, and Blomstedt, although less wellknown, holds his own. It should be mentioned that Blomstedt recorded many of the most celebrated 20th composition CDs on the market, and definitely knows his stuff. Peter Wohlert recorded mostly for compiliation lables, but to be selected by the Berlin Phil shows that he is a formdiable conductor in rank as well.

Should you buy this collection then? Given the fact that each CD cost $1.75, there is definitely the bargin factor. However, Beethoven's music desveres the top interpreters and musicians of our time - and this applies for all of his music, not just the symphonic. If you are into bargins, then proceed to buy this collection. However, if you save up a bit more, you can buy Karajan's 1963 Beethovens symphonies along with Kempff's 1956 sonata cycles for just a bit more than 70 bucks. Shop around for the string quartets, and the complete overtures should range anywhere from 15 to 30 bucks depending on the conductor/ensemble.

Overall, this is certainly an exceptional bargin. However, quality matter more than money. Besides, chicks dig people with sophisticated tastes.

Buy my box Set!.......2006-03-21

Awesome deal, 40 CD box set of me, Beethoven! There are 3 principle reasons you should buy this box set:

This box is QUALITY my friend, made of the finest, Austrian cardboard with a lovely green finish, it is made to last! You can just set it on your dresser and whenever you need a Beethoven fix you can just pull a CD out. But don't you hate getting your CDs out of order so you can't find what the hell you're looking for?! Not with this set! They are well organized into symphonies, concerti, sonatas and such, so you can find EXACTLY what your looking for, and they have big numbers on them so you can put them right back where they belong.

And the music! Need we go into this, composed through the inspiration of God himself and penned by the greatest composer who ever walked the streets of Vienna, me, Beethoven! Top notch, all done by top performers and recorded at high, clear, digital quality, stick one in your stereo and rock out man! All of my great and mighty works are here, absolutely sublime!

Lastly, you'll be supporting me, I need those royalty checks to keep rolling in!

Buy it if you love me or just buy it if you want people to think that you're sophisticated (the chicks also dig it, I should know: Antonie Brentano, giggity!), you can't go wrong!

Average customer rating:

One of Karajan's best Beethoven Symphony cycles
Fine Analog Performance
Bring me the desert island, please.
Karajan's best Beethoven cycle for combination of performance and sound
under the surface

Beethoven: Nine Symphonies

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000001GBT
Release Date: 1990-07-03

Tracks:

Symphony No. 1 In C Major, Op. 21: 1. Adagio molto - Allegro con brio
Symphony No. 1 In C Major, Op. 21: 2. Andante cantabile con moto
Symphony No. 1 In C Major, Op. 21: 3. Menuetto. Allegro molto e vivace
Symphony No. 1 In C Major, Op. 21: 4. Adagio - Allegro molto e vivace
Symphony No. 4 In B Flat Major, Op. 60: 1. Adagio - Allegro vivace
Symphony No. 4 In B Flat Major, Op. 60: 2. Adagio
Symphony No. 4 In B Flat Major, Op. 60: 3. Allegro vivace
Symphony No. 4 In B Flat Major, Op. 60: 4. Allegro ma non troppo
Overture, Egmont, Op. 84: Sostenuto, ma non troppo - Allegro

Tracks:

Symphony No. 2 In D Major, Op. 36: 1. Adagio - Allegro con brio
Symphony No. 2 In D Major, Op. 36: 2. Larghetto
Symphony No. 2 In D Major, Op. 36: 3. Scherzo. Allegro
Symphony No. 2 In D Major, Op. 36: 4. Allegro molto
Symphony No. 7 In A Major, Op. 92: 1. Poco sostenuto - Vivace
Symphony No. 7 In A Major, Op. 92: 2. Allegretto
Symphony No. 7 In A Major, Op. 92: 3. Presto
Symphony No. 7 In A Major, Op. 92: 4. Allegro con brio

Tracks:

Symphony No. 3 In E Flat Major, Op. 55 'Erocia': 1. Allegro con brio
Symphony No. 3 In E Flat Major, Op. 55 'Erocia': 2. Marcia funebre. Adagio assi
Symphony No. 3 In E Flat Major, Op. 55 'Erocia': 3. Scherzo. Allegro vivace
Symphony No. 3 In E Flat Major, Op. 55 'Erocia': 4. Finale. Allegro molto
Overture Leonore No. 3, Op. 72A: Adagio - Allegro

Tracks:

Symphony No. 5 In C Minor, Op. 67: 1. Allegro con brio - L.V. Beethoven
Symphony No. 5 In C Minor, Op. 67: 2. Andante con moto - L.V. Beethoven
Symphony No. 5 In C Minor, Op. 67: 3. Allegro - L.V. Beethoven
Symphony No. 5 In C Minor, Op. 67: 4. Allegro - L.V. Beethoven
Symphony No. 8 In F Major, Op. 93: 1. Allegro vivace e con brio - L.V. Beethoven
Symphony No. 8 In F Major, Op. 93: 2. Allegretto scherzando - L.V. Beethoven
Symphony No. 8 In F Major, Op. 93: 3. Tempo di Menuetto - L.V. Beethoven
Symphony No. 8 In F Major, Op. 93: 4. Allegro vivace - L.V. Beethoven
Overture Fidelio, Op. 72B: Allegro - L.V. Beethoven

Tracks:

Symphony No. 6 In F Major, Op. 68 'Pastorale': 1. Awakening Of Cheerful Feelings Upon Arrival In The Country - Allegro ma non troppo
Symphony No. 6 In F Major, Op. 68 'Pastorale': 2. Scene By The Brook - Andante molto mosso
Symphony No. 6 In F Major, Op. 68 'Pastorale': 3. Merry Gathering Of Country Folk
Symphony No. 6 In F Major, Op. 68 'Pastorale': 4. Thunderstorm
Symphony No. 6 In F Major, Op. 68 'Pastorale': 5. Shepherd's Song: Happy And Thankful Feelings After The Storm
Overture To H. J. von Collin's Tragedy, Op. 62: Allegro con brio
Overture 'The Creatures Of Prometheus' To Salvatore Vigano's Ballet: Adagio - Allegro molto con brio
Overture 'The Ruins Of Athens' From The Music To A. von Kotzebue's Play: Andante con moto - Allegro, ma non troppo

Tracks:

Symphony No. 9 In D Minor, Op. 125: 1. Allegro manon troppo, un poco maestoso - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Symphony No. 9 In D Minor, Op. 125: 2. Molto vivace - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Symphony No. 9 In D Minor, Op. 125: 3. Adagio molto e cantabile - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Symphony No. 9 In D Minor, Op. 125: 4. Presto - Ludwig Van Beethoven
Symphony No. 9 In D Minor, Op. 125: 4. Presto - Final Chorus From Schiller's 'Ode To Joy' - Ludwig Van Beethoven

Amazon.com

This is hedonistic Beethoven, though in listening to these accounts one wonders sometimes whether Herbert von Karajan may not have confused sex with love, and physicality with emotion. At least he seems more concerned with opulence of sound and weight of texture than with psychology or substance. Yet while his interpretation has neither great emotion, nor struggle, nor a sense of spiritual release, it certainly has great beauty and exhilaration. The readings are typical of the "massaged" style of performance Karajan cultivated in Berlin during the 1970s, and which Andrew Porter famously critiqued when he likened the results to Kobe beef. There is a certain softness under all that muscularity, though for the most part Karajan shows his usual strong grip and maintains the balance of lyrical and kinetic elements. The Berlin Philharmonic, at its peak when these recordings were made, is a marvel: even if its playing is rarely fiery or spontaneous, its sound is plush, succulent, and exilaratingly rich. Karajan uses a big orchestra all the way through, even in Symphony No. 1--which as a result sounds rather massive, though not heavy (the brisk scale in the violins at beginning of the fourth movement is delightfully airy). In addition to their polish, his readings are notable for their high energy level. This is particularly true of the Eighth, one of the most successful items in the set, which is interpreted in a way that clearly shows its connection to Seventh. On balance, the accounts run from very good to outstanding (Nos. 4, 8 and 9), but only rarely do they approach the transcendent. The recordings, made in Berlin's Philharmonie, are close-miked and mastered at a fairly high level, and sound is impressively firm. --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews:

One of Karajan's best Beethoven Symphony cycles.......2007-04-20

Herbert von Karajan (1908-1989) recorded the Beethoven Symphonies four different times: with the Philharmonia Orchestra (early 1950s, EMI); with the Berlin Philharmonic (1961-62, DG); again with Berlin (1975-77, DG: THIS recording), and finally, in Berlin (1982-85, DG). Most critics consider either the 1961-2 or THIS recording to be Karajan's best Beethoven Symphony cycle. (The EMI has cramped sound, and the last cycle shows Karajan's eccentric side: somehow it doesn't "jell" and sound like Beethoven to me - it's more Karajan than Beethoven.)

These have Karajan's best Beethoven Symphony 5 and Symphony 6 recordings. The Berlin Philharmonic has the lush, rich sound Karajan was known for and will be remembered for by future generations of music lovers. The other symphonies are all very fine, too.

I should state my allegiences are for Bohm/Vienna Philharmonic (DG, 1970-72) in most of these symphonies. I also like Szell/Cleveland (Sony) for Symphonies 1, 3, 4 and 9; and Bruno Walter/Columbia Symphony for Symphony 3,4,5, and 7 (Sony). Thomas Beecham's EMI recordings of Symphonies 2 and 7 with the Royal Philharmonic are worth seeking out.

Karajan is very fine, if you don't have an allegience to a given conductor, as I do to Karl Bohm.

Fine Analog Performance.......2007-03-12

Karajan has been one of my favorites for the past 30 plus years and I have many of his recordings on lp and cd. One of the few things I collect are lp box sets. This set I own on vinyl and it either just got posted to Rhapsody or I just ran into it. Rhapsody now has this set, his 1950s, and his digital 1980s posted. I have not run into the early 60s set yet at Rhapsody, but have it on vinyl and cd. I was a bit surprised to see yet another Karajan Beethoven Symphony cycle at Rhapsody and did a search at Amazon to find out what cycle it is.

Karajan did at least 4 complete Beethoven Cycles (50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s) on lp/cd plus one video cycle in the mid 80s that is just outstanding. Some may argue that this is overkill, and many argue about what cycle is best. As far as I know, no one has surpassed Karajan for the most complete cycles title (Jochum comes to mind who I think did three cycles). It is now possible to convert them all to mp3, put them on a single cd or into an mp3 player and do a taste test. Any of these cycles are fun to listen to and they are all well played, conducted, and recorded. The 50s cycle is probably the weakest from a sound/ recording engineer perspective and maybe the 80s is the best (though some do not like the early digital sound). I personally like the early 60s best plus I greatly enjoy the DVDs. I bought them from China through Ebay for about $30 including s/h.

The big difference for Karajan 80s vs 70s is that in the 80s he had health issues prior to his passing and he also started to get very elderly (born in 1908). I have viewed his DVDs of Tchiakovsky (sym. 4, 5, 6) and Dvorak (8, 9) and his Beethoven 9. He seems to be more vigorious on the Beethoven set, followed by the Tchaikovsky, and then the Dvorak. He seemed to me to be a little out of it on the Dvorak 9th and that symphony seemed to drag. I love his Tchiakovsky set from the 70s and the 80s video is almost as good. I read that Karajan had over 800 recordings!

Bring me the desert island, please........2005-12-17

I've always been an admirer of Karajan's Beethoven. I pretty much cut my Beethoven teeth on the much lauded (by me, too) sixties set. In many peoples' minds I suppose it will never be surpassed.

However, in nearly every respect, this mid-seventies undertaking is a better set. I have, as have others, quibbles with certain decisions Karajan makes. For example, he seems to have no problem occasionally ignoring Beethoven's calls for repeats, while at other times he observes them scrupulously. It seems to me that if Beethoven says to do it, then you should do it. Karajan, apparently, doesn't agree.

One could quickly lapse into a minutiae-induced stupor over details. However, a couple will suffice: This is, without doubt, Karajan's best recorded Sixth. That said, it must be admitted his overall concept of this symphony has always been, for some, a weak link. I agree. Simply, there are probably better Sixth's in the catalog, although none could possibly be better played, interpretation not withstanding. Also, this Fifth is to be preferred over the earlier version, ignored repeats and all. The Ninth, arguably the crown jewel of the earlier set, is remarkable here. The soloists are all admirable, even if they aren't Janowitz, Ludwig, et al.

All-in-all, a magnificent undertaking, beautifully realized on CD.

Finally, as most know, Karajan undertook the complete symphonies one last time, near the end of his career (and life) in the early eighties. They are great. The sound is generally great (although not really better in any demonstrable way than here). But Karajan and his Berlin orchestra were having legal, personal and personnel problems which would finally force the Maestro to leave Berlin all together for his final few recordings. At this stage, probably the less said about the utterly disgraceful treatment the ailing Maestro was subjected to, the better. However, that final recorded cycle suffers, I think, from these problems. There are, at times, a certain sloppiness to the procedings Karajan would never have tolerated earlier in his life.

Happily, we have cycle two, in glorious mid-seventies Berlin sound, as a living testament of Karajan's superlative Beethoven.

Karajan's best Beethoven cycle for combination of performance and sound.......2005-10-09

This cycle of Beethoven symphonies, recorded 1975-77 is Herbert von Karajan's strongest. It is also the best of his Beethovens for both performances and sound. Symphonies 5 and 6 are the best here of any others Karajan did, as are Symphonies 1, 2, 3 and 9.

Much of "the best" depends on personal preferences, but I prefer these to the last cycle, recorded 1982-84 for DG. The 1961-2 cycle (DG) is also very fine.

I won't go into details in the interest of keeping this review concise. But Karajan takes slightly slower tempos in Symphony 5: I and Sym. 6: I, II, making a better case for each work.

The sound is rather low level, and you may have to crank up your volume a bit + add some extra bass, as Deutsche Grammophon often shorts the bass a bit in some of their recordings. But the sound is clean, and overall very fine.

Read my reviews of Karajan's first DG cycle, also with the Berlin Philharmonic, for other details. This cycle is recommended, and highly thought of by many critics.

under the surface.......2003-09-18

This truly is an amazing set!
For me this set beats his famous 1963 recordings.
It seems that many people take it for a fact that most of his 1970 recordings lack power, passion and meaning without ever hearing those performances.

Yes you have that recognizable Karajan sound allover, but how this sound interacts with a certain composer or work you'll only find out by listening to it.
For example: I like the "kitschy" singing violins in this Beethovenset very much, it adds mysterie to the score.
The same singing violins (same recorded as well) however I dislike very much in his Bruckner-recordings.
Weird, because string-vibrato in general suits Bruckner's music better than Beethoven's.
But to me those strings rob Bruckner's music of its mystery and mystique.

As said, the main reason why people underrate this set and most of his '70 recordings is because of their general perception of Karajan's sound.
That Karajan sound isn't just the orchestral playing, but also the sound of the recordings and I agree that this sound can add too much "Karajan" to a musical work and can rob the music's identity
The Karajan soup, constantly flavoured by the same ingredients.
One particular flavour is the artificial sounding concert hall acoustic and it is this acoustic in partnership with those singing violins that might give some music that peculiar 1970 romantics feel: candlelight dinners, on the beach at the right time: when the sun is going down etc.

But it's not honest to judge all his music on these unlikable (or likable if you will) features
Under that polished surface of the recordings there is real passion, energy and drive and the playing isn't that polished at all.
Listen to the lower strings, they rub intensly and the brass isn't underplayed all the time, rather under-mixed.
I am probably the only person who rate these performances higher than his 1963 recordings, there I do not find the same energy, passion and speed.

Yes, the tempi are faster and I like them that way.
Of this set I particuarly like the 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th symphony.
The first two symphonies are given a too massive performance, in these works only a period intsrument ensemble can do a fine job or the orchestra must be smaller.

His 9th is let down by a too slow and not very rhythmical defined 1st movement. The rest, especially the adagio is superb.
The adagios in general I like better played by a traditional orchestra instead of a period ensemble.

His 3rd is superb.
Great speed in the first movement and the orchestra is playing their socks of, what power, drive and passion!
Same with the 7th.
Yes the brass could be better profiled and articulated, but the overall stormy performance generously makes up for these minor complaints.

His 6th is still the best I ever heard, to my ears this work is the most romantic in atmosphere and therefore everything matches even that "kitschy" recording.
And that's actually pretty funny because Karajan didn't care much for this symphony.

All these performances are not that cold and polished as the recordings might suggest.
In comparison with Gardiner I noticed that Gardiner's performance is much more controlled, polished and somewhat more polite than Karajan.
I recommend this set without hesitation, for me these performances are still up with the best.
Judge for yourself.

Average customer rating:

5 star performance at a budget busting outrageous price
Szell's Beethoven in best sound, forty years later
Superbly Remastered Classic Beethoven Symphony Cycle From Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra
Music Production At Highest Level
As Good as it Gets

Beethoven: The Nine Symphonies

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0002CHK6I
Release Date: 2004-06-29

Tracks:

I. Adagio Molto - Allegro Con Brio
II. Andante Cantabile Con Moto
III. Menuetto,. Allegro Molto E Vivace
IV. Finale. Adagio - Allegro Molto E Vivace
I. Adagio Molto - Allegro Con Brio
II. Larghetto
III. Scherzo. Allegro
IV. Allegro Molto

Tracks:

I. Allegro Con Brio
II. Marcia Funebre. Adagio Assai
III. Scherzo. Allegro Vivace
IV. Finale. Allegro Molto

Tracks:

I. Adagio - Allegro Vivace
II. Adagio
III. Menuetto. Allegro Vivace - Trio. Un Poco Meno Allegro
IV. Allegro Ma Non Troppo
Leonore Overture No. 3, Op. 72a

Tracks:

I. Allegro Con Brio
II. Andante Con Moto
III. Allegro
IV. Allegro
I. Allegro Vivace
II. Andante Cantabile
III. Menuetto. Allegretto
IV. Molto Allegro

Tracks:

I. Allegro Ma Non Troppo
II. Andante Molto Moto. Szene Am Bach
III. Allegro. Lustiges Zusammensein Der Landleute
IV. Allegro. Gewitter Sturm
V. Allegretto. Hirtengesang, Frohe Und Dankbare Gefuhle Nach Dem Sturm

Tracks:

I. Poco Sostenuto - Vivace
II. Allegretto
III. Presto - Presto Meno Assai
IV. Allegro Con Brio

Tracks:

I. Allegro Vivace E Con Brio
II. Allegretto Scherzando
III. Tempo Di Menuetto
IV. Allegro Vivace

Tracks:

I. Allegro Ma Non Troppo, Un Poco Maestoso
II. Molto Vivace
III. Adagio Molto E Cantabile - Andante Moderato
IV. Presto - Allegro Assai - Recitativo: O Freunde, Nicht Diese Tone! - Allegro Assai (Final Chorus On Schiller's 'Ode To Joy')

Tracks:

Egmont Overture, Op. 84
Coriolan Overture, Op. 62
King Stephen Overture, Op. 117
Leonore Overture No. 2, Op. 72b
Leonore Overture No. 1, Op. 138
Fidelio Overture, Op. 72

Tracks:

Overture. Adagio - Allegro Molto Con Brio
Introduction. La Tempesta. Allegro Non Troppo
No. 1. Poco Adagio
No. 3. Adagio - Allegro Con Brio
No. 3. Allegro Vivace
No. 4. Maestoso - Andante
No. 5. Adagio - Andante Quasi Allegretto
No. 6. Un Poco Adagio - Allegro
No. 7. Grave
No. 8. Allegro Con Brio
No. 9. Adagio
No. 10. Pastorale. Allegro
No. 11. Andante
No. 12. Solo Di Gioja. Maestoso
No. 13. Allegro
No. 14. Solo Della Cassentini. Andante
No. 15. Solo Di Vigano. Andantino
No. 16. Finale. Allegro

Customer Reviews:

5 star performance at a budget busting outrageous price.......2007-06-06

The cover for this cd boxed set came straight off the vinyl lp boxed set issued to commemorate Beethoven's 200 birthday and George Szell's passing in 1970. (I have this boxed set in great, near mint condition that sounds wonderful). I love these performances! I must have a couple of dozen or more George Szell lps. Szell is like money in the bank, like a classical sure thing! Just about everything I have heard from Szell and the CSO sparkles!

My problem with this set is the price. For the money, you could easily buy another great Beethoven cycle, Tchaikovsky cycle, Schumann cycle, Brahms cycle, etc. etc here at Amazon. So, unless money is no object or you are a die hard (more likely die broke) Szell collector, I would recommend finding another path to Szell Beethoven Nirvana. Rhapsody has 6 or 7 of these posted. I checked the a la cart used prices at Amazon and it looks like you could pick up the missing ones not posted at Rhapsody and buy 8 or 9 months of unlimited listening at Rhapsody for the same price. Another option would be an Ebay search. There is probably an earlier cd edition you could bid on for at least two thirds cheaper or even pick up a good, used set of the real deal (vinyl lps!)

Or, maybe you have not done somehing stupid with your money and you are about due and you feel entitled, and that hundred bucks in your pocket is starting to burn a hole.......

Szell's Beethoven in best sound, forty years later.......2007-04-21

I empathize with fans for the late George Szell, who had to endure shallow, hissy sonics on the original LPs of his Beethoven cycle, then to wait decades longer while Sony put the recordings through cheap CD remastering on various budget lines. Now jsutice has been done, and the original tapes come up sounding quite good. (the same renovation has been done to the Szell-Fleisher Beethoven 3rd and 4th piano concertos though not to the Emperor, so far as I know).

The hallmarks of Szell's conducting style are well known by now. He followed Toscanini's propulsive lead, allowing little expressive rubato, insisting on perfection of execution, and in essence bringing the old man into the stereo era. To some ears this is great Beethoven, but there's more heroism and romance to be found elsewhere. I don't think Beethoven should be so well drilled, but if you favor Szell's meticulous cold style, his Beethoven is quite strong.

Sony deserves some finger wagging for filling these CDs so stingily and for stretching the material for 6 or 7 discs out to ten. Charging the full price of $100 seems like gouging, particularly when you have to buy Szell's Jupiter Sym., available elsewhere, and a Prometheus ballet that isn't even conducted by him but his pedestrian assistant, Louis Lane.

Superbly Remastered Classic Beethoven Symphony Cycle From Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra.......2007-01-31

In the 1960s, there was no other orchestra in the world - including Karajan's Berliner Philharmoniker - which sounded as fine as the Cleveland Orchestra under George Szell's magnificient direction. I am delighted that Sony has made this fine CD set available once more, using the latest digital state-of-the-art remastering, since I remember well from some old LPs I had of this Beethoven Symphony Cycle, superb performances of the 3rd, 5th, 6th and 7th symphonies from Szell and his crack precision ensemble of a symphony orchestra. I concur with others who regard this CD set as the best recorded by the Cleveland Orchestra of not only Beethoven's symphonies, but indeed, of any of the great 18th and 19th Century composers. This 1957 to 1967 recorded cycle will remain as one of the most important artistic legacies of the Cleveland Orchestra during Szell's tenure as music director. Moreover, I am willing to guess that this CD set may be remembered as the best Beethoven Symphony Cycle recorded during this time, even if others, most notably Karajan's early 1960s Deutsche Grammophon cycle with the Berliner Philharmoniker, have earned lavish praise from critics and fans alike.

Music Production At Highest Level.......2006-01-14

No need to explain why Szell's Beethoven performances are exquisite - perfect balancing among instruments, expressive phrasing, unbelievable intensity, and oh yes, details!
But equal amount of praises should go to Sony's remastering engineers. You will hear a night-and-day difference from the old Essential Classics versions!

Just listen to the magnificent 9th. Szell and the Cleveland musicians give out their lives.

As Good as it Gets.......2005-04-10

Originally issued on Columbia's budget label, Epic, George Szell's early stereo (1957-1967) cycle of Beethoven's Symphonies became legendary on its original release. Originally released one at a time, the cycle was later reissued as a boxed set, individually again in the late 1970s, debuting on CD in the 1980s, and in several incarnations during the 1990s. Now, for the 21st Century, Sony has created a lavish reissue.

Ever the perfectionist, Szell drilled the Cleveland Orchestra to within an inch of its life, and the result here is orchestral playing of immaculate perfection, with the various choirs balanced as if they were one soloist. Technically, there is no better Beethoven cycle on records, not from Maazel's and Dohnanyi's later cycles with the same orchestra, not from Karajan's Berlin Philharmonic, and certainly not from Toscanini's NBC Orchestra.

Toscanini bears mentioning here, because there are similarities of approach. Szell chooses not to let details obscure the overall structure of each symphony--though there are telling details in plenty. By the time this cycle was recorded, Szell had lived with these masterpieces for half a century, and it shows in the judicious tempi, straightforward phrasing, and architectonic grandeur.

Receiving its first CD release is the same orchestra's recording of Beethoven's Creatures of Prometheus ballet, superbly conducted by Szell's assistant director, Louis Lane. Also included is Mozart's "Jupiter" Symphony, which was originally the B side for Beethoven's ubiquitous 5th. Since this is one of the finest Jupiters ever recorded, no complaints about breaking the one composer rule.

Sony's set reproduces the original cover art and sequencing (with once exception, the Overtures disc features two bonus tracks). Generally, the CDs are not well filled, however this is more than made up for by the superb documentation. The booklet contains the original LP liner notes (most of them by Klaus G. Roy, then program annotator of the Cleveland Orchestra), unfortunately whittled down. But, with a magnifying glass, one can read the miniaturized backs of the original LP covers. Sony's engineers have done an excellent job remastering the rather dry sounding original tapes.

For those encountering Beethoven's sypmhonies of Szell conducting for the first time, there is no greater starting point. For longtime fans, this set will impress with its refreshed sonics and deluxe packaging.

Great Conductors of the 20th Century: Hermann Scherchen

Average customer rating:

Scherchen, the wild man in the room, doesn't disappoint
Surprising repertoire for a great "modern music" conductor
Great Conductors of 20th Century = Best Reissues of the 21st

Great Conductors of the 20th Century: Hermann Scherchen

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Great Conductors of the 20th Century: Artur Rodzinski
Igor Markevitch
Otto Klemperer
Great Conductors of the 20th Century: Evgeny Mravinsky
Great Conductors of the 20th Century: Rafael Kubelik

ASIN: B0000AKPIC
Release Date: 2003-11-04

Tracks:

Coriolan Overture, Op.62
I Allegro Vivace E Con Brio
II Allegretto Scherzando
III Tempo Di Menuetto
IV Allegro Vivace
The Firebird And It's Dance
Variation Of The Firebird
The Princesses' Round
Danse Infernale Du Roi Kostchei
Lullaby
Finale
I Ouverture. Largo - Allegro
II Adagio
V Gigue. Moderato
After The Bells

Tracks:

Donna Diana: Overture
I Adagio - Allegro
II Allegretto
III Menuet. Moderato - Trio
IV Finale. Presto
I Un Poco Sostenuto - Allegro
II Andante Sostenuto
III Un Poco Allegretto E Grazioso
IV Adagio - Piu Andante - Allegro Non Troppo, Ma Con Brio

Customer Reviews:

Scherchen, the wild man in the room, doesn't disappoint.......2005-12-29

The problem with Hermann Scherchen is also the great thing about him: his unpredictability and crazily reckless decisions. We hear this in practically every note of these two CDs in the Great Conductors series. Balances can be wildly off, tempos helter-skelter, ensemble thrown out the window (and the compilers by no means picked the worst of Scherchen's many recordings for Westminster, which can be so ragged as to be unlistenable). But Scherchen was much more than a lovable maniac; he is never less than gripping.

CD 1 begins with a slapdash, exciting Coriolan Overture (good mono, 1954) with the Vienna State Opera Orch. Technically this orchestra is supposed to be some version of the Vienna Philharmonic, but during the early Fifties at least they sounded like a ragtag pickup band. Ensemble and sound improve markedly with the Beethoven Eighth (mono, 1954) which curiously took 13 days to record with the Royal Phil., Beehcam's orchestra. Tempos are fast and alert, and there is no time for digging deep. Scherchen makes this symphony into an exciting race that you either join or walk away from. There's not much middle ground. (The piece lends itself well to his approach, something I can't say for his equally breakneck Eroica.)

At these speeds we have room for a lot more. A Firebird Suite (mono, 1954) comes from the same sessions as the Beethoven, oddly enough. It's full of the same racing excitement. Schonberg's Suite for String Orch. is a bizarrely conventional tonal work, but being mature Schonberg it's full of modernist touches that Scherchen expertly highlights for us in a live performance with the Berlin Radio Sym.--this is one of the best things in the set (stereo, 1959). CD 1 ends with a short work totally unknown to me, Orff's Entrada (stereo, 1960), which sounds like Baroque pastische a la Respighi's Ancient Airs and Dances. It loses its fake achaic charm long before eight min. are up.

CD 2 starts off with a burst of champagne, Resnicek's Donna Diana Over. (stereo, 1957). For once the Vienna State Opera Orch. actually sounds like it's from Vienna, and things couldn't be better. The same group is reasonably up to scratch in Haydn's 'Military' Sym. #100, though the 1958 stereo sonics make them sound a scrawny. Haydn was Scherchen's least eccentric composer, at least until we get to the breakneck finale, which is something else again--Beecham on amphetamines. With more robust forces the VSOO takes on the Brahms First (mono, 1952), which Scherchen dispatches in 41 min., equal to Toscanini's NBC Sym. recording from the same period. Hiss rocket-propelled finale will leave you agog. The dated sonics make the strings sound wiry and buzzy, but this is an energetic, well shaped reading, and recognizably similar to many others from mainstream conductors. Too bad we didn't get something more modernist or at least a taste of Scherchen's hair-raising Mahler and Liszt.

Anyway, what we do get is a fair portrait of this one-of-a-kind conductor, who deserves a lot more exploration by anyone who gets a tempting taste of what he could do.

CD 2

Surprising repertoire for a great "modern music" conductor.......2004-01-13

Hermann Scherchen was probably the most celebrated advocate of modern music of the 20th century - from his early days playing Mahler in Berlin to building his modern music lab in Gravesano in the last years of his life. He premiered many important "modern" pieces, including those by Berg and Schoenberg. It is therefore extremely shocking that this tribute
contains mostly "main stream" repertoire, with the Schoenberg piece "Suite in the old style"!

That said, don't take away the merits of this wonderful set. As a "classical music" conductor Scherchen is always full of insight and always controversial: extreme tempi, incredible rubati, and so on. So much to the extent that Schoenberg once said with him there's never a dull moment - he's always interesting even when he puts things horribly wrong! His Mahler 9th on Orfeo d'Or no doubt falls neatly into that category, but this set certainly represents Scherchen at his best. The celebrated Beethoven 8th is now in its third reincarnation (the first one being an MCA double-decker and the second a single budget MCA-disc paired with a crazily speedy yet effective 6th), and the remastering has much to commend. The Firebird Suite is simply stunning: Scherchen's touch on its rhythm shines like no other. I suspect why the set includes the Haydn symphony is that Scherchen used to make tonnes of Haydn recordings for Westminster, and was fairly representative of his recording work during that era (1950s). The Brahms one was the real surprise package, though: absolutely thrilling with pulsating tempi. Highly recommended.

Great Conductors of 20th Century = Best Reissues of the 21st.......2003-11-14

It's sad that the "Great Conductors of the 20th Century" reissue series has not gotten more attention, because it has my vote for the best reissue program thus far of the 21st Century. Drawing from the archives of all the major classical labels (EMI, Sony, BMG, DG, Decca, Philips, Supraphon, etc.), EMI and IMG Artists have assembled a wonderful series of affordable two-disc sets by the leading conductors of the last century. And unlike its counterpart, "The Great Pianists of the 20th Century," which are basically compilations of material already available on other CDs, the "Great Conductors" features rare and, for the most part, previously unreleased performances! And as if that wasn't enough, the most recent volumes (beginning with no. 25) are now available at mid-line instead of full-price!

This particular CD, Volume 32, features the great Hermann Scherchen, and as the track information is non-existent above, allow me to tell what is contained in this fine collection. This 2CD set begins with works by Beethoven -- the Coriolan Overture (Vienna State Opera Orchestra, 1954) and the 8th Symphony (Royal Philharmonic, 1954). This account of the 8th, made available on CD more than a decade ago in the original MCA "Double Decker" series but long out of print, created quite a stir when it was first released nearly fifty years ago. Scherchen was one of the first conductors to strictly follow Beethoven's metronome markings, and as a result the Symphony is at a much brisker tempo than the typical account. It provides a wonderful, striking contrast to other famous versions of the 8th! Disc one concludes with a delightful "Firebird Suite" (RPO, 1954), Schoenberg's "Suite in the Old Style" (Berlin RSO, 1959) and Orff's "Entrata" (VSOO, 1960). As good as disc one is, the second's even better with Reznicek's "Donna Diana" Overture (VSOO, 1957), Haydn's "Military" Symphony (VSOO, 1958) and a surprisingly good Brahms 1st (VSOO, 1952) from a conductor not known as a Brahms specialist. A final note, all of the selections on this collection are either in golden-age stereo, or very good, late mono sound.

Tracks:

Sym No.1 in C, Op.21: I. Adagio Molto - Allegro Con Brio
Sym No.1 in C, Op.21: II. Andante Cantabile Con Moto
Sym No.1 in C, Op.21: III. Menuetto: Allegro Molto E Vivace
Sym No.1 in C, Op.21: IV. Adagio - Allegro Molto E Vivace
Sym No.3 in E flat, Op.55 'Eroica': I. Allegro Con Brio
Sym No.3 in E flat, Op.55 'Eroica': II. Marcia Funebre. Adagio Assai
Sym No.3 in E flat, Op.55 'Eroica': III. Scherzo - Allegro Vivace
Sym No.3 in E flat, Op.55 'Eroica': IV. Finale: Allegro Molto - Poco Andante - Presto
The Creatures Of Prometheus Ov, Op.43

Tracks:

Sym No.2 in D, Op.36: I. Adagio Molto - Allegro Con Brio
Sym No.2 in D, Op.36: II. Larghetto
Sym No.2 in D, Op.36: III. Scherzo (Allegro)
Sym No.2 in D, Op.36: IV. Allegro Molto
Sym No.8 in F, Op.93: I. Allegro Vivace E Con Brio
Sym No.8 in F, Op.93: II. Allegro Scherzando
Sym No.8 in F, Op.93: III. Tempo Di Menuetto
Sym No.8 in F, Op.93: IV. Allegro Vivace
Coriolan Ov, Op.62
Egmont Ov, Op.84

Tracks:

Sym No.4 in B flat, Op.60: I. Adagio - Allegro Vivace
Sym No.4 in B flat, Op.60: II. Adagio
Sym No.4 in B flat, Op.60: III. Allegro Vivace - Trio: Un Poco Meno Allegro
Sym No.4 in B flat, Op.60: IV. Allegro Ma Non Troppo
Sym No.7 in A, Op.92: I. Poco Sostenuto - Vivace
Sym No.7 in A, Op.92: II. Allegretto
Sym No.7 in A, Op.92: III. Allegro Vivace - Trio: Un Poco Meno Allegro
Sym No.7 in A, Op.92: IV. Allegro Con Brio

Tracks:

Sym No.5 in c, Op.67: I. Allegro Con Brio
Sym No.5 in c, Op.67: II. Andante Con Moto
Sym No.5 in c, Op.67: III. Allegro
Sym No.5 in c, Op.67: IV. Allegro - Presto
Sym No.6 in F, Op.68 'Pastoral': I. Allegro Non Troppo - Awakening Of Happy Feelings On Arriving...
Sym No.6 in F, Op.68 'Pastoral': II. Andante Molto Mosso - Scene By The Brook
Sym No.6 in F, Op.68 'Pastoral': III. Allegro - Merry Gathering Of The Country Folk
Sym No.6 in F, Op.68 'Pastoral': IV. Allegro - Storm And Tempest
Sym No.6 in F, Op.68 'Pastoral': V. Allegretto - Shepherd's Song. Happy And Thankful Feelings...

Tracks:

Sym No.9 in d, Op.125 'Choral': I. Allegro Ma Non Troppo - Yvonne Kenny/Sarah Walker/Patrick Power/Petteri Salomaa/The Schutz Chor Of London
Sym No.9 in d, Op.125 'Choral': II. Molto Vivace - Yvonne Kenny/Sarah Walker/Patrick Power/Petteri Salomaa/The Schutz Chor Of London
Sym No.9 in d, Op.125 'Choral': III. Adagio Molto E Cantabile - Yvonne Kenny/Sarah Walker/Patrick Power/Petteri Salomaa/The Schutz Chor Of London
Sym No.9 in d, Op.125 'Choral': IV. Presto - Allegro - Yvonne Kenny/Sarah Walker/Patrick Power/Petteri Salomaa/The Schutz Chor Of London

Customer Reviews:

Nice recording.......2007-05-20

I got this recording to hear how Beethoven might sound on period instruments. That sort of thing interests me; I play early woodwinds, myself. The playing is good; and I think I got my money's worth.

Strong on the even numbered symphonies ..........2007-03-22

If you're after superb recordings of the 2nd, 4th, 6th and 8th symphonies, look no further. However, I find Norrington's interpretations of the odd numbered symphonies much less effective for some reason. I've had this set for some years now (I own several recordings of the Beethoven symphonies, five complete cycles, in fact) and I have come to the conclusion that Norrington's recordings of the 2nd, 4th and 8th symphonies are amongst the best available. However, he is weaker in some of the other symphonies. Yet this is a very enjoyable cycle and I do enjoy listening to it, albeit a little critically.

Many or most music lovers will be aware that this was probably the first complete set of recordings on period instruments which took Beethoven's metronome marks very seriously and endeavoured to adhere to them as much as humanly possible. I am inclined to agree with Nikolaus Harnoncourt on this subject and he suggests that Beethoven's metronome markings were worked out in his head and represent how these works might sound in the imagination rather than in the concert hall, does that make any sense?

Hogwood's slightly earlier pioneering H.I.P. recordings of Beethoven symphonies please me a little more than Norrington's. Hogwood wasn't as dogmatic about the metronome markings and I feel that his set is a little more dramatic and "potent" than Norrington's. Those are my feelings.

If you're after a very cheap set of Beethoven symphonies on period instruments, look no further. If you're "cashed up" and a little more choosy, go for Gardiner or Brüggen or, perhaps, Goodman's.

Norrington's Performances are the Worst of the Worst of the Worst of the Worst, I wish I was exaggerating!.......2006-02-05

This was recorded back in the 1980's when the period instrument movement was still just getting off the ground and the incompetence level of period instrument performers and conductors was off the charts! The instruments themselves were weezy, scratchy and just plain pathetic. Performance standards have improved today but I can't believe anyone in their right mind prefered Beethoven played this way, back in the 1980's, today or even 200 hundred years ago.

Since these performances are so pathetic as to be almost unmentionable, I'll zero in on two symphonies in particular, the Eroica and the 9th. The tempos for all the movements of the Eroica are very fast, the first movement with the exposition repeat observed is only 15:20. Very fast, so it should be exciting, explosive, right? Wrong. It's flat out boring and I was actually getting drowsy. It goes without saying that the instruments have no weight, no depth and no power but the performance lacks any insight at all, especially so in the great Funeral March, here played like a stroll in the park.

The Ninth Symphony is even worse, far, far worse. The first two movements rattled off without even a thought or care. The great, spiritual adagio becomes whiney, rushed nonsense in Norrington's hands and the choral finale was so awful I had to stop it several times.

To call the London Classical Players the equals of a high school orchestra would be an insult to high school orchestras everywhere. The London Classical Players are much more like elementary school children with their first instruments.

This kind of mockery of Beethoven might be fine in England but I'm sure the Germans and Austrians had a good laugh as their hearts filled with rage against the idiotic Englishman! Of course I didn't buy this crappy Norrington set, I just borrowed it from the library and returned it as soon as possible. I feel sorry for anyone who thinks this is good and I feel even more sorry for anyone who thinks that this is how Beethoven should actually be played! With no joy, no soul, no power, no spirituality. If you insist on period instruments ( why would you insist on that you moron? ), go get John Eliot Gardiner. If you actually want to hear drama and beauty in this music, go to Karajan or if you want to experience the full depth and profundity of these works, go to Furtwangler.

Great sound, but Symphonies 1, 2 and 4 are the best here........2005-12-04

Roger Norrington's controversial and ground breaking period instrument Beethoven Symphony cycle with the London Classical Players, recorded and released in the mid-late 1980s, is here offered by Virgin Classics at budget price. Norrington's recordings have great sound, and Symphonies 1, 2 and 4 are the best recorded and played here. Perhaps it is also true that the lighter, more Haydn like textures of these symphonies work better on period instruments than do the sterner, more muscular symphonies, such as 3 "Eroica", 5, 6 "Pastoral", 7, 8, and 9.

This is an interesting alternative view of Beethoven, but it should by no means be one's only set of these famous works. For the "larger" symphonies, I would recommend: 3, "Eroica": Szell/Cleveland (Sony); Bruno Walter/Columbia (Sony); Karl Bohm/Vienna Philharmonic (DG); for 5, Reiner/Chicago (RCA);
Bohm/Vienna (DG); Karajan/Berlin (DG, 1975 recording, with complete symphonies); Carlos Kleiber/Vienna (DG); for 6, "Pastoral": Bruno Walter/Columbia (Sony); Bohm/Vienna (DG);
Andre Clutyens/Berlin Philharmonic (Seraphim); for 7, Bohm/Vienna (DG); for 8, Bohm/Vienna (DG); Ormandy/Philadelphia (Sony); Bernstein/Vienna (DG); for 9, Szell/Cleveland (Sony), Karajan/Berlin (DG, 1962);
Furtwangler/Philharmonia (Tahra, Lucerne VIII/1954, perhaps hard to find at the present date); Bohm/Vienna (DG, 1970).
Norrington's fast tempos seem to gloss over important points in many movements of these symphonies, especially 3:I, III; 5: III, IV (blazing intensity, but too fast); 6:I (too fast!); and 9: III and IV are positively bizarre, really turning the Beethoven I know and love inside out, with wildly different tempos from section to section.

Still, I give this 5 stars and applaud Norrington's bravery in recording Beethoven as he was not recorded previously, with period instruments, and different ideas of tempo, articulation, and phrasing. Norrington's recordings will not be confused with others: there are none others quite like them.

Excellent - emotion & energy!.......2005-05-30

I cannot remember the number of times I've listened to this - Fifth very good (survival against misfortune) - Sixth very good (joy/energy/movement to storm/lightening to peace/content) - Ninth the first movement, unbelievable carry of energy, revenge & rightful destruction of old/irrelevant . . . So much emotion & energy created/captured by Beethoven.

Average customer rating:

Information for Furtwangler collectors
colossal performances
Just buy it!

Recordings 1942-1944, Vol. 1

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Recordings 1942-1944, Vol. 2
Furtwangler Conducts Brahms - Complete Symphonies, etc / North German RSO, Berlin PO
Wilhelm Furtwängler: Live Recordings 1944-1953
Furtwangler Conducts Beethoven - Beethoven: symphonies no 3,4,5, & 9, Leonore
Great Recordings Of The Century - Beethoven; Mendelssohn: Violin Concertos / Furtwangler, Menuhin

ASIN: B00005ONMK
Release Date: 2002-10-08

Customer Reviews:

Information for Furtwangler collectors.......2005-05-29

If you are looking at this item, you probably do not need to be convinced of the musical worth of these performances. So I'll refrain from commenting on the quality of the recordings here, and instead try to list details about them which might help you check for overlaps with other CDs.

Please note that the Coriolan and the Beethoven Symphonies here are the same performances present on the Music and Arts 4CD set [ASIN: B00001W09Z]. I'm not sure how the quality of this remastering compares with that one.

1. Symphony no 39 in E flat major, K 543
27m : 54s Staatsoper, Berlin 2/8/1944

2. Coriolan Overture in C minor, Op. 62
8m : 57s Alte Philharmonie, Berlin 6/30/1943

3. Symphony no 4 in B flat major, Op. 60
35m : 29s Alte Philharmonie, Berlin 6/30/1943

4. Symphony no 5 in C minor, Op. 67
33m : 8s Alte Philharmonie, Berlin 6/30/1943

5. Symphony no 7 in A major, Op. 92
37m : 34s Alte Philharmonie, Berlin 11/3/1943

6. Concerto for Violin in D major, Op. 61
43m : 26s Alte Philharmonie, Berlin 1/12/1944

7. Concerto grosso (12), Op. 6: no 10 in D minor, HWV 328
17m : 29s Staatsoper, Berlin 2/8/1944

8. Symphony no 9 in C major, D 944 "Great"
50m : 16s Alte Philharmonie, Berlin 12/8/1942

9. Der Freischutz, J 277: Overture
10m : 51s Staatsoper, Berlin 3/21/1944

colossal performances.......2004-06-29

the performances in this box present music making in the highest and most sublime sense. This is music making for all seasons and for all music lovers. These performances, alongside those in another DG Furtwangler box-set of the war period, are among the most heartfelt interpretations of great masters I have ever listened to. These are not exercises in mere aesthetics or searches for a beautiful sound for its own sake.In these recordings music is presented naked, as the deepest expression of the human mind and human feelings. A must not only for Furtwangler collectors, but for all music lovers.

Just buy it!.......2004-06-17

I don't have the words to describe the beauty and lyricism of these recordings. Just buy it.
There were four great conductors in the 20th century: Bernstein, Karajan, Toscanini, and well, hands down, our tragic friend Wilhelm was the greatest of them all! He let the music speak, live and breathe like no one else before or since.

Great Conductors of the 20th Century: Fritz Reiner

Average customer rating:

Musically great but too many retreads
One of the great conductors of the 20th century
A Real Find!
Superb Collection...

Great Conductors of the 20th Century: Fritz Reiner
Fritz Reiner , Ludwig van Beethoven , Johannes Brahms , Felix Mendelssohn , Bela Bartok , Richard Wagner , Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , Richard Strauss , Maurice Ravel , Manuel de Falla , Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra , NBC Symphony Orchestra , RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra , Philadelphia Orchestra , and Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Great Conductors of the 20th Century: Dimitri Mitropoulos
Great Conductors of the 20th Century: Artur Rodzinski
Great Conductors of the 20th Century: Rafael Kubelik
Great Conductors of the 20th Century: Hermann Scherchen
Sir Adrian Boult

ASIN: B000239AT2
Release Date: 2004-07-13

Tracks:

Coriolan Overture, Op.62 - Emil Gilels
I Allegro Non Troppo - Emil Gilels
II Allegro Appassionato - Emil Gilels
III Andante - Piu Adagio - Emil Gilels
IV Allegretto Grazioso - Un Poco Piu Presto - Emil Gilels
I Adagio - Allegro Spiritoso - Fritz Reiner
II Andante - Fritz Reiner
III Menuetto - Trio - Fritz Reiner
IV Presto - Fritz Reiner
A Midsummer Night's Dream: Scherzo - Emil Gilels

Tracks:

Tragic Overture, Op.81 - Fritz Reiner
Gotterdammerung: Morgendammerung Und Siegfrieds Rheinfahrt - Fritz Reiner
Swineherd's Dance - Fritz Reiner
Till Eulenspiegels Lustige Streiche, Op.28 - Fritz Reiner
I Prelude. Vif - Fritz Reiner
II Forlane. Allegretto - Fritz Reiner
III Menuet. Allegro Moderato - Fritz Reiner
IV Rigaudon. Assez Vif - Fritz Reiner
I Introduccion Y Escena - Carol Brice
II En La Cueva: La Noche - Carol Brice
III Cancion Del Amor Dolido - Carol Brice
IV El Aparecido - Carol Brice
V Danza Del Terror - Carol Brice
VI El Circulo Magico: Romance Del Pescador - Carol Brice
VII A Media Noche: Los Sortilegios - Carol Brice
VIII Danza Ritual Del Fuego: Para Ahuyentar Los Malos Espiritus - Carol Brice
IX Escena - Carol Brice
X Cancion Del Fuego Fatuo - Carol Brice
XI Pantomima - Carol Brice
XII Danza Del Juego De Amor - Carol Brice
XIII Final. Las Campanas Del Amanecer - Carol Brice

Amazon.com

The bulk of this double-disc bargain features Reiner with the Chicago Symphony, which he shaped into a polished paragon of orchestral virtuosity. The set opens with Beethoven's Coriolan Overture, one of best on disc, thrusting and powerful. The longest work is Brahms's Second Piano Concerto, which pits Reiner's machined precision against Gilels's big, warm sound. The combination yielded one of the best Brahms Seconds in the catalogue, more dynamic than the pianist's later version with Jochum (on DG). Mozart's Linz Symphony gets a lean, classical performance, forward-moving yet lyrical, the finale thrilling. The Dawn and Siegfried's Rhine Journey from Goetterdaemmerung, stresses the darkness of the Rhine more than the light of the dawn, and Reiner's 1950 Til Eulenspiegel with the RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra captures the sardonic humor of Strauss's masterpiece. Falla's El Amor Brujo, a work Reiner often played, is a souvenir of his leadership of the Pittsburgh Symphony, brilliantly done with Carol Brice a terrific, chesty-voiced singer. Ravel's Le Tombeau de Couperin could use a bit more charm and grace, but it's well-played by the NBC Symphony. Sonics range from superb early stereo to decent late 1940s mono. A good overview, proving that Reiner was indeed one of the century's great maestros. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

Musically great but too many retreads.......2005-12-13

The compilers of the Great Conductors series let us down with this installment devoted to Fritz Reiner. The vast majority of the works on these 2 CDs are commercially available on RCA and always have been. The Mozart Linz Sym., the Ravel Tombeaut de Couperin (a "why bother?" if ever there was one), and a mono El Amor Brujo from Pittsburgh (re-recorded by Reiner to far more dramatic effect with Leontyne Price and the CSO) are the slim claims to novelty.

If you don't own the Coriolan or the Brahms 2nd Concerto with Gilels, both superb performances, this set has something to offer. The old RCA standbys are all superb, in fact. But where is Reiner the long-time opera conductor? Reiner in live performances from Chicago? Reiner with the Vienna Phil. near the end of his life? Reiner in unusual repertoire? By missing so many opportunities, the Great Condcutors series did poorly by one of their truly great conductors.

One of the great conductors of the 20th century.......2005-02-19

Undoubtedly, Fritz Reiner's twofer is one of the most satisfying releases in this batch of the excellent "Great Conductors of the 20th Century" series. A lot of the material covered here is not only new to CD, most is moreover of the highest order.

One will be hard-pressed to find more gripping recordings of Beethoven's "Coriolan", Brahms' "Tragic Ouverture" and 2nd Piano concerto (which highlights the superb cooperation between Reiner and the Russian keyboard giant Emil Gilels again). There is also an excellent Mozart Symphony #36 "Linz". All are vintage Chicago Symphony of the late 1950s (with a well-nigh ideal orchestral balance, a stunning clarity of structure and excitingly incisive playing), magnified by truly awesome early stereo.

CD two also features an earlier account (1946) of de Falla's "El amor brujo" with soprano Carol Brice and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, which Reiner headed from 1938 until 1948. Ravel's "Tombeau de Couperin" with the NBC Symphony Orchestra and Richard Strauss' "Till Eulenspiegel" with the RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra from the early 1950's rounds off this outstanding release. Both composers, Ravel and Strauss, have always been close to Reiner.

In short, a great introduction for anyone wishing to taste Fritz Reiner's art, as well as a must for collectors.

A Real Find!.......2004-12-04

"Great Conductors of the 20th Century" has proven to be a fascinating, revealing series of recordings, and perhaps no volume in the series has shown itself to be more revealing than this one.
While Toscanini is generally given credit for being a literally faithful interpreter of scores, he made minor adjustments even to the scores of composers he revered, like Beethoven and Brahms. The legendary conductor who came the closest to being a literal interpreter was Fritz Reiner.
This is not to say the Reiner's performances were dry or lacked character. Far from it! Like Szell, Solti, and to a lesser extant, Toscanini, Reiner sought to sublimate his ego in the service of the composer's intent, as indicated in the score. Reiner's achievement was to inject less of his personality into his performances than those of the other Apollonarians. When we listen to a Reiner recording, therefore, we don't find out a lot about Fritz Reiner. We do discover a lot about Beethoven, or Brahms, or Wagner, or Ravel, or Bartok, or whoever else's music he's conducting. It's sort of like watching a production of Shakespeare, mounted by a great director, who shapes the overall vision of the play, and lets the actors play their parts with as little editorial comment but as much faithfullness as possible.
Reiner's object is to mount a performance which gets the audience to love the composer's work as much as he does. He doesn't seem to really care what you think about him.
I bought this set on a recommedation from a friend about the Brahms 2nd Piano Concerto with Emil Gilels. I was not disappointed. Gilels delivers his usual robust, muscular performance and Reiner and the Chicago Symphony are right there with him, every step of the way. The Andante - piu adagio is as gentle and refined as the other movements are strong and confident. This is one extraodinary performance.
Beethoven's "Coriolan Overture," which preceeds the Brahms, is, if anything, even better. It hits you like a stiff left jab in the nose, and once it has your attention, it doesn't let go of it. The Brahms "Tragic Overture" is equally impressive.
"Dawn and Siegfried's Ride" from Wagner's "Gotterdammerung" reveals just how beautiful Wagner's music can sound when given a lean and disciplined approach.
Perhaps one reason Reiner is so hard to pin down as a conductor is that he was a true cosmopolitan, who appreciated the differences in flavors, feelings and aromas of different cultures. Thus, he is equally at home presenting the shining, delicate surfaces, and underlying subtelties, of Ravel's "Le Tombeau de Couperin," or the firey passion and mysticism of de Falla's "El Amor Brujo" as he is with the German repertoire. In fact, this particular version of "El Amor Brujo" is to die for. Carol Brice may not be able to match Leontyne Price in terms of glorious tone, but she more than makes up for it in an idiomatically correct performance, full of that Iberian fire that Price, for all her talent, just couldn't fathom.
By the way, the other selections, by Mozart, Mendelssohn, Bartok
and Richard Strauss, are all up to the same high standards.
This CD is a special musical treat, and, at the price, a real FIND!

Superb Collection..........2004-12-02

Dating from the mid 1940's to the late 1950's, this is an unusual and wonderful collection of recordings by the late Fritz Reiner. The latter period constituted his "Golden Age" - his storied collaboration with the Chicago Symphony produced some of the most spectacular recordings of the 20th Century, and a number of interesting examples are included here, including the wonderful Brahms "Tragic Overture."

But the most fascinating recordings in this collection for Reiner fans are those preceding his Chicago years. The "Til Eulenspiegel" recording, from the early '50's in New York City, is a wonder - it is certainly one of the most completely satisfying recordings ever made of this very early Strauss work, and it has become the favorite (out of nearly a dozen) in my collection. His recording of "El Amor Brujo" is equally fascinating - I have loved his Chicago Symphony recording with Leontyne Price for decades, but my recent invited guest preferred this recording hands-down, despite the somewhat inferior sound and less-than-hair-trigger playing. She found it more idiomatically Spanish, and I grudgingly agree.

Perhaps best of all, for less than the price of a single modern bit of plastic, I own - forever - a living slice of a truly glorious musical era. Considering its status as a "compilation," I suggest picking it up while the pickin's good - these collections generally don't stick around for very long, and this one is truly terrific.

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