Beethoven: Symphony No. 9
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Music CD Cover
Performer: Friedemann KunderComposer: Ludwig van Beethoven
Conductor: Peter Maag
Performer: Ruthild Engert-Ely
Orchestra: Orchestra di Padove e del Veneto
Orchestra: Padova e del Veneto Orchestra
Performer: Amanda Halmgrison
Performer: Zeger Vandersteene
Edition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 1996-06-18
Music Label: Arts Music
Soundtracks:
- Symphony No. 9 In D Minor Op. 125 'Choral': I. Allegro ma non troppo un poco maestoso
- Symphony No. 9 In D Minor Op. 125 'Choral': II. Molto vivace
- Symphony No. 9 In D Minor Op. 125 'Choral': III. Adagio molto cantabile - Andate moderato
- Symphony No. 9 In D Minor Op. 125 'Choral': IV. Presto - Allegro assai
Free Music Notes for Beethoven: Symphony No. 9
Free Music Review: One of the better ones
Hit: 5 Stars
This recording of the 9th, by one of the better and more interesting conductors of the late 20th century, is warm, humane, honest and compelling. Maag was not known for his Beethoven -- he was most closely associated with Mozart, Mendelssohn and Italian opera -- and he admitted in an interview late in life that he had hesitated to record the Beethoven cycle because of its close association with Furtwangler. When he finally got the courage to record these symphonies, he chose an orchestra about as far from those Furtwangler used as possible. Instead of the mega-sized Berlin or Vienna Philharmonic Orchestras, we have the 35-40 member Orchestra of Padua and Veneto, a chamber-group whose usual repertoire is from the baroque and early classical eras. Maag said he did so to create more intimacy and to bring out inner detail.
We do get the detail, from the winds and brass especially. Despite the relatively small size of the string section, balances are generally good, but you won't hear the big, cushion-y string sound you're accustomed to in other modern-instrument performances. Maag's sensibilities are not period-performance oriented, however. Tempi are more in line with the older generation of Beethoven interpreters: To compare with, say, Zinman, the first movement is 3 minutes longer, the third 6-1/2 minutes longer, the fourth 3 minutes longer. The scherzo, however, is a shade faster than Zinman's. We also do not get those hard-mallet, dramatic tympani-thwack. In other words, we have an odd combination of small-scale orchestra, with modern instruments, doing what we could call a fairly old-school-styled performance. The drawbacks of this arrangement are apparent in only a couple of places: there's a lack of heft-in-reserve in one or two climaxes in the first movement; and the chorus has a much larger, more forward sound vis-a-vis the orchestra than normal, which I found disconcerting at first but easily got used to.
This is a live performance, apparently not edited with studio takes to cover over mistakes (although there are very few of those). The trade-off, of course, is the increased intensity and excitement that comes from performing for people rather than a microphone.
The first movement starts a bit unevenly but quickly straightens out. Maag's approach is intense, although not as apocolyptic as Furtwangler's. There are a couple of lapses in Maag's concentration, resulting in occasional phrases which aren't as neatly turned as most, but in balance it's a fine and dramatic reading. The second movement is strongly rhythmic, propulsive, and has an almost playful quality in parts that harks back to Haydn. It's one of the most interesting interpretations I've heard, and fits well with Maag's overall conception of the piece, which is more diverse than most. The third movement is just stunning: evn at 2 minutes shorter than Furtwangler's 1954 version, it floats and soars. Phrasing is immaculate, and there's a sweetness and humanity to this movement that's truly compelling.
The fourth movement starts off a bit rocky, mostly because the orchestra doesn't have the heft to bring off that first chord and Maag chooses a slow-ish tempo, which reveals details but slows the momentum. Things quickly straighten out with the introduction of the themes from the first three movements. Maag's phrasing of the cello-bass recitative is hortatory, in the best German tradition, and the main theme is beautifully simple in its introduction. The rest of the movement is fine, with a powerful first entrance from the choir, a fine vocal quartet, a light-footed march (and a chord just before it that's not only worth of Furtwangler's heritage in its gradiosity but even outdoes the master), and an operatic feel that revels in the different textures and paces of the different parts of the movement without losing the continuity. There are a couple of moments where the choir and orchestra aren't quite together with each other, but it hardly matters as the movement runs exhileratingly to its conclusion.
In the end, the emotional appeal of this performance is greater than the sum of its parts or even than the size of the orchestra. Maag communicates his essence as a human being through this piece, and while David Hurwitz of ClassicsToday may see that as a flaw, I see it as a virtue. This is not the apocolyptic Beethoven of Furtwangler or Klemperer; it has more warmth and tenderness, even in the major explosions.
Arts' sound is fine: warm and detailed, without the over-resonance that mars many of the other recordings in this series. This is a fine performance, one of the best, and a bargain to boot. Highly recommended.
Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 Poster
Most of this series is studio recorded, but this and one other disc were recorded live. Perhaps for that reason it's uncommonly intense and satisfying. The winds are still prominent here, but the strings have apparently been augmented and they are never swamped. Maag and the orchestra open the Symphony with a convincing sense of mystery, then give a strongly rhythmic and powerful reading of the first movement. The Scherzo is even more emphatic, the Adagio affectingly songful. The only casualty of the live situation is the bass's querulous entry in the Finale, but otherwise things go splendidly (including his later contributions). The chorus sounds fine, but more of the orchestral writing than usual remains audible behind them. Overall, one of the great Ninths on disc and a splendid bargain. --Leslie GerberClassical Music CDs
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