Ludwig van Beethoven: 9 Symphonien
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Free Music Notes for Ludwig van Beethoven: 9 Symphonien
Free Music Review: Good overall but ...
Hit: 3 Stars
If you only ever listen to this rendition of the slow movement from the 9th symphony then you simply won't understand that movement. That was the case with me. My eyes (or ears) were opened when I heard a rendition that does not skip so lightly over a truly sublime piece of music.Free Music Review: Brilliant, at times.....but.....
Hit: 4 Stars
Karajan's Beethoven adheres to a certain kind of style that frequently projects drama, power and majesty, yet, at times, leaves something to be desired in terms of lightness of texture and emotional suppleness. Nonetheless, there are moments when I feel his interpretive voice more closely resembles that of Beethoven than any conductor I have heard. I find this true especially in some of the more propulsive and imposing passages of mainly the odd numbered works. Sometimes, with other composers, I have been critical of this conductor's tendency toward muscular, smoothly molded contours, however, I feel this approach melds fairly well with a decent portion of Beethoven's persona. I'm certainly not alone when I state that while Karajan satisfies me in some areas of Beethoven, Klemperer and Schuricht, for example, fulfill me in other areas, and, indeed, in some of the same areas as well. Concerning the various interpretations, I feel there is no "10" among complete sets of the Beethoven Symphonies, though of course many have their favorites, and aim to stand by them come "hell or high water".
Notwithstanding my allusion above to the Klemperer and Schuricht collections, and despite its shortcomings and the fact that I've never been a big fan of his, I rate the 1963 Karajan the best all around Beethoven Symphony set I've heard. As for other highly regarded versions like Szell's, I sometimes find him a little too precise and manufactured. Walter offers what many consider to be very fine Viennese readings, however, I like a bit more electricity in Beethoven. Aside from some impressive moments where he generates great power, Furtwangler, with his sometimes mannered phrasing and excessive lingering in slower passages, can put me off. I'm not questioning the greatness of these conductors, and I do like some of their individual interpretations. I'm just voicing my pet peeves about them.
In focusing on Karajan's individual performances, his Sixth ("Pastorale") is my least favorite of the lot. I find it bleached of richness and emotional warmth. For those qualities I look to Klemperer, Walter and Abendroth (nla). Elsewhere, the First Symphony is energetically paced, tuneful and nicely detailed. The Second is quite enjoyable in virtually every aspect. The Third is well paced and proportioned and powerfully executed. Very satisfying, except for the funeral march, which is short on real emotional depth. The Fourth is generally colorful and incisive, but it's tough to beat Bruno Walter here for overall musicality. Karajan's Fifth is my all-time favorite among Beethoven Fifths. Bold and grand, its tempos, pauses and inflections are on the mark. Especially satisfying is the way in which the horns are broadly and sonorously presented, though I wish the cellos in the third movement had more resinous bite. The Seventh is very good, but though emphatically stated and adequately charged, it remains earthbound, never really projecting that kind of Olympian quality found in versions like Reiner's with the Chicago Symphony. The Eighth is one of his best efforts. It is incisive and musical, with a nice third movement menuetto that is easy flowing and elegant. The Ninth, of course, is Beethoven's crowning jewel. After giving a good re-hearing to Karajan's reading, I still find myself impressed with its tremendous drive. Except for a few moments where things almost become a little hectic, I have little to criticize in the first movement. I find the second movement a shade too fast, and the third somewhat shallow in spiritual depth. Early in the last movement, the deep strings are not quite portentous enough. Otherwise, things are pretty well done. But these are relatively small reservations about an otherwise very fine performance. My current favorite, however, is Reiner's Chicago Symphony account (See my coming review.), followed by Fritz Busch's live mono Danish Radio performance and Otto Klemperer's live stereo reading on Testament.(See one of my past reviews.)
For those looking for a set, the task may take a while. If you wind up drawing firm conclusions after you've listened, that's fine. But try to go into the listening experience with as open a mind as possible. Some of you will feel the best approach is to avoid the boxed set and instead select single discs for the individual symphonies. Of course, there is no guarantee this will save you time and money or automatically reward you with "just what you were looking or listening for". Happy hunting, though !
Free Music Review: A decent recording, but the chorus is lacking
Hit: 4 Stars
After hearing this recording, I can now understand why it has been praised by many and hounded by others. Karajan's tempi are, as expected, usually right on the money. The Berlin Philharmonic, for the most part, executes the symphonies very well. However, something I really didn't expect was the under-par performance of the chorus - notably the sopranos. On many occassions, they seem shrill and flat (I am tempted to get out my ear plugs for portions of the 9th symphony.) The quartet, on the other hand, performs well. The analog recording is good, considering its age, but definately falls short of a modern-day DDD recording. All in all, I feel this recording is essential to any Beethoven collector, because Karajan's interpretation is wonderful. However, the execution of that interpretation has a few flaws, and should be considered before making this the only Beethoven you listen to.Free Music Review: Five With A Caveat!
Hit: 5 Stars
This set is good value for money. What you here is Karajan before he became the jet-setting, multi-zillionaire God of classical music that some think he was. This is not the glossed over Karajan of digital stereo. Its better than Szell, who essentially was a stereo Toscanini, and not as good as the Maestro as far as I am concerned! If you really want high energy exciting Beehoven, I suggest you purchase Music And Arts excellent set Furtwangler Conducts Beethoven! These are World War II recordings with the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonic Orchestras recorded believe it or not on TAPE! Gee, the Germans had hifi ten to fifteen years before we did!!!Free Music Review: Uno mas for "camper-mann"...
Hit: 3 Stars
Not only are we in synch on the Hawk, but the "camper-mann's" views on von Karajan, specifically, and his Beethovens in general echo my own perfectly. Sterile, or maybe "stiff" was the word I used to describe his Dvorak B-minor Cello Concerto, even with the great Rostropovich. Giulini's is hands-down better, and he gets the best out of Rostropovich as well. It was only when I heard a perfectly preserved LP copy of William Steinberg and the Pittsburgh Symphony from the 60s that the Eroica (and indeed all of the Symphonies) came to true life for me as well. I noticed the difference immediately. Cold. There is no other word for it. I'd love to send "camper-mann" a copy of my Steinberg and the Pittsburgh. He'd appreciate the difference a little emotion makes! i VIVA LA MUSICA!