Five Essential Beethoven Recordings

[mikealdren]

Surprised that no-one has an indispensable version of the Violin Concerto, then again, although I couldn't live without it, I'm not sure which is my absolute favourite. As Ms Lodes said, she really couldn't live with just single versions of such great works.

[HighlandDougie]

Agreed. I only continued to listen (as I was sipping tea in bed with a one-time Papagena...vis first ridiculous 'item' on RR)) to confirm my despair at the whole lot. As far as 'the Five Essentials' were concerned, I guess Paul Lewis was OK, but why start such a masterpiece in the middle if the idea is to suggest to 'the average listener' what they might want on their shleves? Or on a desert island.....

That has to be one of the great introductions to - a post? Well, pretty much anything, actually. Anyway, it brought a smile to my jaundiced face.

I too find it difficult to believe that the likes of Igor Levit, the Ébène Quartet, Martin Helmchen, Emmanuel Krivine etc aren’t getting a look in. Otherwise all rather predictable and, to use a word beloved of FHG, «dreary»

[RichardB]

I think most of Beethoven’s music is irredeemably horrid and bombastic barnstorming bluster.

Actually very little of Beethoven's music could be realistically thus described.

[pastoralguy]

Where to start?!

Pastoral Symphony. Leonard Bernstein. Vienna Philharmonic.

Violin Concerto. Itzhak Perlman. Barenboim. Berlin Philharmonic. EMI

Piano Concerto No.5. John Lill SNO. Gibson CfP.

[Beresford]

Actually very little of Beethoven's music could be realistically thus described. "Bombastic Barnstorming"

Do you think that the introduction of the Bombastic into 19th century music can be blamed on Beethoven? Or Napoleon? It's probably much more complicated than that.

[RichardB]

Do you think that the introduction of the Bombastic into 19th century music can be blamed on Beethoven? Or Napoleon? It's probably much more complicated than that.

I think there's far more bombastic early 19th century music than Beethoven's! - but also the tradition of performing his music that grew up during the rest of the 19th century emphasised the bombast. But there's a lot less of it than the stereotyped portrait of Beethoven as scowling curmudgeon might suggest. For example the fifth movement of op.130 couldn't be described even by his most convinced detractor as in any way the work of such a person.

[RichardB]

I don't like lists like this at all but really I think it needs to be emphasised that the best Beethoven recordings from the 21st century are at least the equal of anything made half a century and more ago, and in important respects of course are much closer to the music imagined by Beethoven.

[antongould]

Barbirollians, thank you. I approve of all your choices. It's difficult to limit the choice to five, without a long process of comparing many recordings. Here's a few I thin are essential Beethoven listening:

Solomon Hammerklavier

Busch op. 132

Furtwangler 5th (1943 recording, an apocalyptic performance)

Klemperer 7th 1955

Cortot/Thibaud/Casals Archduke.

As for its being 'startling' that these and yours are all very old recordings, no, it doesn't mean that all recent recordings are poor, but I do think the master artists of the early 20th century were closer to the essence of the music , for various reasons. Their lifestyle was closer to that of Beethoven's time , and they were able to take longer to consider interpretation.

I love that version of the Archduke

[Bryn]

Surprised that no-one has an indispensable version of the Violin Concerto, then again, although I couldn't live without it, I'm not sure which is my absolute favourite. As Ms Lodes said, she really couldn't live with just single versions of such great works.

Perhaps those who 'overlook' the violin concerto agree with Stravinsky that it was not up to much. I should point out that I am not of their ilk.

[smittims]

If 'it needs to be emphasised...', richardb, I wonder why you didn't suggest any, and explain how. I know few Beethoven recordings from the 21st century, so I wouldn't be able to say which were the best. Certainly the performances I've heard on Radio 3 , while good, don't strike me as 'essential'.

[RichardB]

If 'it needs to be emphasised...', richardb, I wonder why you didn't suggest any

Because I don't like making shortlists like this, as I already mentioned. The Beethoven recordings I've spent most time with recently have been Jordi Savall's of the symphonies, the early quartets with the Chiaroscuro Quartet, the late quartets with Quatuor Mosaïques, the op.59 quartets with the Kuijken Quartet, and Nikolaus Harnoncourt's 2016 Missa solemnis. That's about 25 separate works, all these recordings and quite a few others are "essential" as far as I'm concerned - I would certainly listen to any of them in preference to the 1950s versions mentioned upthread, but I'm not going to single out 5 for special attention.

[smittims]

Thanks, RichardB, I hope to hear some of those recordings some time.

[Barbirollians]

Because I don't like making shortlists like this, as I already mentioned. The Beethoven recordings I've spent most time with recently have been Jordi Savall's of the symphonies, the early quartets with the Chiaroscuro Quartet, the late quartets with Quatuor Mosaïques, the op.59 quartets with the Kuijken Quartet, and Nikolaus Harnoncourt's 2016 Missa solemnis. That's about 25 separate works, all these recordings and quite a few others are "essential" as far as I'm concerned - I would certainly listen to any of them in preference to the 1950s versions mentioned upthread, but I'm not going to single out 5 for special attention.

If you haven’t heard those versions how can you judge that you would rather listen to the records you have mentioned ? Other than by pre-judgment based on your other preferences .The thrust of the BAL and this thread was about five you think people should hear - maybe your four are yours ?

I could equally have chosen Krivine’s symphony recordings, Brautigam’s Op111, the Mosaiques Op18 recordings ,Helmchen’s Beethoven 4 and Honeck’s 5 and 7 but the one’s above just edged it as five that have made most impression on me.

[Mandryka]

Perhaps those who 'overlook' the violin concerto agree with Stravinsky that it was not up to much. I should point out that I am not of their ilk.

I’m ilk.

[RichardB]

If you haven’t heard those versions how can you judge that you would rather listen to the records you have mentioned?

The reason I haven't bothered hearing them is that they are based on an image of Beethoven and his music and how it sounds that I'm quite aware of and not really interested in. (The Busch Quartet is an exception here, but I prefer to hear the increased clarity and depth of more recent recordings, which plays quite an important role in my appreciation too, some might find that a superficial way to think but I would beg to differ. What I said was these are the Beethoven recordings I've been listening to most recently. I could easily have been listening to Furtwängler or whoever but my choice went in other directions. I don't subscribe to the conviction that the mid-20th century was a golden age for performance and recording of classical music.