Beethoven Pastoral Symphony - Gramophone Collection

[Barbirollians]

Neither Mackerras mentioned and Haitink/LSO implied as being anaemic so was a bit grumpy reading this article. The Tennstedt account needs a revisit.

I struggled with that Tennstedt - lots of good things but the piccolo seemed intrusively loud to me.

[pastoralguy]

I’ve been listening with much pleasure to a recording of a Trio arrangement of the symphony by Shai Wosner. It’s played by Emanuel Ax, Leonidas Kovakos and Yo-Yo Ma. Very interesting reduction of music I like to think I know well and of course the playing is gorgeous.

[kernelbogey]

Mention of Boult reminds me of my first recording of the Pastoral, purchased from the Swindon Woolworth. The orchestra was the LPO, playing under a similar pseudonym. It was very fine.

The Swindon Woolworths Philharmonic...?

[akiralx]

Just this morning I enjoyed Chailly's bracing LGO version - my favourite of more traditional recordings is the O de Paris under Kubelik on DG.

[smittims]

That Kubelik set was interesting, wasn't it? As I recall, each symphony was played by a different orchestra: LSO, Concertgebouw, VPO, Israel PO, Berlin PO, Orch de Paris, Cleveland and Bavarian Radio. I can't remember who played the Seventh. I never found out why they did that, and I have to admit I didn't find the performances as a whole had the staying power of, say, the Schmidt-Isserstedt set on Decca.

[CallMePaul]

I agree, cloughie, Kleiber is superb, even better than his previous set with the LPO which was a 'launch title' on Ace of Clubs (ACL 2). His Concertgebouw has I think the most leisurely stay by the brook ; lovely.

Very different from the (live) performance from his son, who belts through the work, ignoring every repeat mark and making Norrington sound like a slowcoach! Very different from his 5th and 7th which observew most repeats! Yet I remember it being the top recommendation on BAL some years ago. I don't know who the reviewer was but maybe Darloboy can provide the info?

[Parry1912]

The Swindon Woolworths Philharmonic...?

Surely it would have been The Winfield Symphony Orchestra

[Dave2002]

It’s been a while since I read about Pfitzner, but the the jist of it that I recall was that he considered Judaism as a type of negative forcethat infected the German Volk and their Kultur, but that he made an exception for individuals of Jewish descent (as long as they renounced their Jewish background, such as Bruno Schlesinger). By the standards of the Third Reich, this almost makes him seem like a Humanist, but that is not the yardstick that I wish to use. And I listened to V of his Pastoral yesterday and I still opt for Toscanini

I was intrigued by this, so I checked with Perplexity.

I was unaware that Bruno Schlesinger renounced his Jewish background, and although he changed his name, there doesn't appear to be any opinion that he renounced his cultural identity.

I have very little information and/or next to no opinion about Hans Pfizner. Is any of his music any good?

[Lordgeous]

I was 'brought up' on the Beecham Pastoral, a 10" Fontana LP if I remember rightly. Maybe Sir Thom an unlikely protaganist for Beethoven!

[Alison]

Very different from the (live) performance from his son, who belts through the work, ignoring every repeat mark and making Norrington sound like a slowcoach! Very different from his 5th and 7th which observew most repeats! Yet I remember it being the top recommendation on BAL some years ago. I don't know who the reviewer was but maybe Darloboy can provide the info?

I fancy that was John Deathridge.

[richardfinegold]

I was intrigued by this, so I checked with Perplexity.

I was unaware that Bruno Schlesinger renounced his Jewish background, and although he changed his name, there doesn't appear to be any opinion that he renounced his cultural identity.

I have very little information and/or next to no opinion about Hans Pfizner. Is any of his music any good?

When he conducted the Columbia Symphony in the early 1950s, Walter was recording one of the Bach Passions. Many of the Jewish players walked out over what they felt to be excessively anti semitic comments. Apparently as a convert, Walter was a true believer

[AlanE]

The Swindon Woolworths Philharmonic...?

At the risk of going off topic I'm reminded that Woolworth's had their own label - Embassy - and I spent some of my pocket money in the late 1950s on recordings by the Embassy Symphony Orchestra; hand-picked musicians, apparently, "most of whom are virtuosi" as the sleeve had it on one of the discs.

[akiralx]

That Kubelik set was interesting, wasn't it? As I recall, each symphony was played by a different orchestra: LSO, Concertgebouw, VPO, Israel PO, Berlin PO, Orch de Paris, Cleveland and Bavarian Radio. I can't remember who played the Seventh. I never found out why they did that, and I have to admit I didn't find the performances as a whole had the staying power of, say, the Schmidt-Isserstedt set on Decca.

You've got them all except the Boston SO, who did the Fifth. Though to quote Mr Eric Morecambe, they're not necessarily in the right order (but pretty close): the BPO did the Eroica and the VPO did the Seventh. He returned to his Munich base in January 1975 to record the Choral.

They were all recorded in quadrophonic (which probably reduced their sales) except the Eroica, and those can be obtained on a series of Pentatone SACDs, as well as the full cycle on 3 DG double CD sets.

[smittims]

Thanks, akiralx! I gave away my copy in 1984 so my memory has slipped.

Sir Thomas Beecham did more Beethoven than many may think today. He recorded 3,6 & 8 for Columbia in the early '50s and reherased the fifth at Abbey Road but didn't complete a recording. I have the third and the 'pastoral' (33CX 1086 and 1062 respecively) and as you say, Philips later reissued them as they did most of the Columbia recordings they inherited. Later he recorded the second and seventh in stereo for HMV.

[Barbirollians]

When he conducted the Columbia Symphony in the early 1950s, Walter was recording one of the Bach Passions. Many of the Jewish players walked out over what they felt to be excessively anti semitic comments. Apparently as a convert, Walter was a true believer

Can you tell us the source of this ? It seems to be rather inconsistent with Walter’s criticism of musicians like Menuhin forgiving Furtwangler? And that reportedly he had said he converted to Christianity as the only way he could get a job.