The Bernstein Century - Beethoven: Symphony no 3 'Eroica' / Bernstein, New York PO
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Music CD Cover
Composer: Ludwig van BeethovenComposer: Leonard Bernstein
Conductor: Leonard Bernstein
Performer: Leonard Bernstein
Orchestra: New York Philharmonic
Edition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 1999-02-16
Music Label: Sony
Soundtracks:
- Allegro con brio
- Marcia funebre, Adagio assai
- Scherzo, Allegro vivace
- Finale, Allegro molto
Free Music Notes for The Bernstein Century - Beethoven: Symphony no 3 'Eroica' / Bernstein, New York PO
Free Music Review: Truly stands out in Bernstein's Beethoven Discography
Hit: 5 Stars
Leonard Bernstein recorded two complete Beethoven symphony cycles plus a final Ode to Freedom concert of the 9th Symphony, ( which was awful ), and a late 7th Symphony with the BSO. He also recorded multiple versions of the piano concertos. Furthermore, he recorded the epic Missa Solemnis and Fidelio. From all that and more, if you were to pick two recordings to view Bernstein in the best light as a Beethoven interpreter, it would be this New York Eroica and his string orchestra performances of two late string quartets, opus 131 and 135 with the Vienna Philharmonic.
This version of the Eroica can be seen as ahead of it's time but if you really look at it, you'll see that Toscanini already said everything Bernstein had to say decades before. However, that does not in any manner take away from Bernstein's outstanding interpretation here. You have to remember those old days with Klemperer's plodding methods. He is but one example, there must have been dozens of others at the time. Bernstein is a breath of fresh air, allowing the revolutionary aspects of the score to enfold without any mannered monumentalism stemming from the German Romantic school of Beethoven conducting.
Two conductors of the era were along with Bernstein heavily influenced by Toscanini's style. They were George Szell and Herbert von Karajan. Both Szell's and Karajan's versions of the Eroica in the early 1960's can be stacked up against this Bernstein version. I suggest you own all three to contrast. Of the three, it is Bernstein's performance that is most driven. Bernstein also takes the first movement exposition repeat unlike most conductors of that era.
The first movement enfolds majestically, with dramatic contrasts underlined and the air of inevitability ever present. The funeral march is dramatic but never ponderous. Sure, it lacks the merits of the grand Furtwangler performance from 1944 or Karajan's fine contemporary version but it is great, unlike the slower and lifeless recording Bernstein conducted for his Vienna cycle. The scherzo and the finale are also wonderful. The New York Philharmonic is out to impress and they do. It would be perhaps unkind to mention that the sound is mostly typical CBS stuff for the period. The strings sound fierce and somewhat rough during the climaxes but it's not the end of the world.
Coming from someone like me who is not a Bernstein fan, especially not of his Beethoven, I can say this recording has some unique merits. It takes the classic convictions of Arturo Toscanini and infuses the New York Philharmonic of the early 1960's with Toscaninian drive and structural sense along with Bernstein's charisma and passion. This performance stands the test of time. The lecture, "How a great symphony was written", which takes place after the symphony, is pedantic but worth a listen. Bernstein's enthusiasm for this great masterpiece is very apparent.
The Bernstein Century - Beethoven: Symphony no 3 'Eroica' / Bernstein, New York PO Poster
Just what was the Leonard Bernstein phenomenon all about? This disc--part of Sony's ongoing series of reissued performances from the conductor's years with the New York Philharmonic--goes a long way toward recapturing at least two aspects of his protean musical career. Bernstein's astonishing powers of communication as both conductor and teacher permeate this account of the landmark Eroica Symphony (recorded in one day in 1964 under legendary producer John McClure); filling out the disc is a lengthy excerpt from his broadcast discussion of the work, "How a Great Symphony Was Written." The charismatic rapport between Bernstein and his New York colleagues crackles with live-wire intensity. Throughout, the sense of excitement in bringing Beethoven's untamable profusion of ideas to life is unjaded. Indeed, it's easy to imagine Bernstein exhorting his players to the explosive power of the score with such descriptions as he later uses in his analysis: the explosive opening chords as "whiplashes of sound," the new theme in the development section "like a song of pain after the holocaust," the evocation of struggle, and--above all--the constant surprises that nevertheless ring with inevitable truth. Bernstein masterfully conveys both deep focus and the larger epic and architectural structure of the symphony but never dams its brimming energy--what a contrast from the mannered style that the conductor would manifest later in his career. It's an extraordinarily inspired performance that does justice to the Promethean range of this music. For a fascinating interpretation of the Eroica in terms of Beethoven's larger political and aesthetic vision, take a look at the Cambridge Music Handbook by Thomas Sipe. --Thomas MayClassical Music CDs
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