Beethoven: The Complete Symphonies and Piano Concertos

Beethoven: The Complete Symphonies and Piano Concertos

Beethoven: The Complete Symphonies and Piano Concertos
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Music CD Cover

Conductor: Otto Klemperer
Orchestra: Philharmonia Orchestra of London
Orchestra: New Philharmonia Orchestra
Performer: Daniel Barenboim
Performer: John Aldis Choir
Edition: Music CD
Format: Box set, Limited Edition, Original recording reissued
CD Release Date: 2000-11-07
Music Label: EMI Classics
Soundtracks:
Music CD 1
  1. I: Adagio Molto - Allegro Con Brio
  2. II: Andante Cantabile Con Moto
  3. III: Menuetto & Trio: Allegro Molto E Vivace
  4. IV: Adagio - Allegro Molto E Vivace
  5. I: Allegro Ma Non Troppo
  6. II: Andante Molto Mosso
  7. III: Allegro - In Tempo D'allegro - Tempo I
  8. IV: Allegro
  9. V: Allegretto
Music CD 2
  1. I: Allegro Con Brio
  2. II: Marcia Funebre: Adagio Assai
  3. III: Scherzo & Trio: Allegro Vivace
  4. IV: Finale: Allegro Molto - Poco Andante - Presto
  5. Gross Fuge
Music CD 3
  1. I: Adagio Molto - Allegro Con Brio
  2. II: Larghetto
  3. III: Scherzo & Trio: Allegro
  4. IV: Allegro Molto
  5. I: Allegro Con Brio
  6. II: Andante Con Moto - Piu Mosso - Tempo I
  7. III: Allegro -
  8. IV: Allegro - Presto
Music CD 4
  1. I: Adagio - Allegro Vivace
  2. II: Adagio
  3. III: Menuetto: Allegro Vivace - Trio: Un Poco Meno Allegro
  4. IV: Allegro Ma Non Troppo
  5. I: Poco Sostenuto - Vivace
  6. II: Allegretto
  7. III: Presto - Assai Meno Presto
  8. IV: Allegro Con Brio
Music CD 5
  1. I: Allegro Vivace Con Brio
  2. II: Allegretto Scherzando
  3. III: Tempo Di Menuetto
  4. IV: Allegro Vivace
  5. Overture
  6. Overture
  7. Overture
  8. Overture
Music CD 6
  1. I: Allegro Non Troppo, Un Poco Maestoso - Christa Ludwig
  2. II: Molto Vivace - Presto - Christa Ludwig
  3. III: Adagio Molto E Cantabile - Andante Moderato - Christa Ludwig
  4. IV: Presto - Recitativo - Allegro Assai - Alla Marcia - Christa Ludwig
  5. Overture - Christa Ludwig
Music CD 7
  1. I: Allegro Con Brio
  2. II: Largo
  3. III: Rondo: Allegro Scherzando
  4. I: Allegro Con Brio
  5. II: Adagio
  6. III: Rondo: Molto Allegro
Music CD 8
  1. I: Allegro Con Brio
  2. II: Largo
  3. III: Rondo: Allegro
  4. I: Allegro Moderato
  5. II: Andante Con Moto
  6. III: Rondo: Vivace
Music CD 9
  1. Fantasia For Piano, Chorus And Orchestra
  2. I: Allegro
  3. II: Adagio Un Poco Mosso -
  4. III: Rondo: Allegro

Free Music Notes for Beethoven: The Complete Symphonies and Piano Concertos

Free Music Review: An essential collection
Hit: 5 Stars

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 - predated stereo. 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 (mono) version of the 7th in "experimental" stereo, and it is that earlier version which is released here (the "experimental" stereo is remarkably good, by the way). 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.
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