Five Essential Beethoven Recordings

[richardfinegold]

So do I

Fair enough

[Mandryka]

An essential Beethoven recording

[Mandryka]

Another essential Beethoven recording

[smittims]

On looking, I find I do have some 21st century Beethoven: Abbado and Barenboim in the symphonies, Barenboim in the complete sonatas, and Pollini, Uchida and Leonskaja in some , Imogen Cooper and Stephen Kovacevich in the Diabelli Variations, and Matthias Goerne and Alfred Brendel in 'An die ferne Geliebte'.

I'm not sure any are 'essential' though. What is 'essential' is that we go on playing , listening to and recording Beethoven.

[Mandryka]

And a third

[Mandryka]

And another (I wonder if I can make five.) This one's a goodie.

https://www.artforum.com/music/immortal-homosexual-poets-michael-finnissy-s-hammerklavier-87866

[makropulos]

Well, "essential" may not be the right word, but I have quite a few 21st century Beethoven performances that are very much among my own favourite Beethoven performances. They include:

Brautigam's complete piano sonatas
The Quatuor Mosaïques doing the late quartets
Mackerras's cycle of the symphonies on Hyperion.

I find all of those revelatory in their different ways, and vastly enjoyable too.

[Barbirollians]

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.

The words “your loss” come to mind. Especially with regard to Kleiber whose first movement of the Eroica is quicker than many modern recordings.

As for the premise Bryn it is Radio 3s - mine was simply to ask what five do you think others might get a great deal from hearing - a worthy enough objective even if some have closed ears .

[BBMmk2]

Really, a mountainous task.

[Barbirollians]

I thought she was subtly mocking the idiocy of the exercise she was engaged in

A very benevolent view

[Nick Armstrong]

Don’t forget to tweet your ONE essential recording for next weeks programme!

At least we are to be spared this tomorrow

[makropulos]

The latest version of the R3 schedule for tomorrow now has the station off air from 18:15 to 23:30 (i.e. no organ recital at 19:30). Clearly this is a developing schedule...I expect it will be different again by tomorrow morning.

[smittims]

When George VI died in 1952 the BBC shut down completely all day, leaving millions wondering what had happened. I heard this from my mother (it was a few days before I was born) who was trying to get 'Story time' for my sister to listen to . She asked our neighbour, who said 'haven't you heard? The King's dead'.

How could we have heard ? Carrier pigeon?

(note for younger readers: at that time the BBC Home Service and Light programme were the only broadcasting in Britain. The Third Programme and BBC Television (one channel) didn't come on till evening.)

[makropulos]

When George VI died in 1952 the BBC shut down completely all day, leaving millions wondering what had happened. I heard this from my mother (it was a few days before I was born) who was trying to get 'Story time' for my sister to listen to . She asked our neighbour, who said 'haven't you heard? The King's dead'.

How could we have heard ? Carrier pigeon?

(note for younger readers: at that time the BBC Home Service and Light programme were the only broadcasting in Britain. The Third Programme and BBC Television (one channel) didn't come on till evening.)

Fascinating. I certainly never knew that the BBC has simply gone silent on the day of George VI's death. (I'd assumed –obviously wrongly –that much solemn music was played throughout the day).

[smittims]

When Hitler died Berlin radio played the Adagio from Bruckner 7, in a gramophone recording conducted by Wilhelm Furtwangler.

It would be interesting to know what happens in other countries; though I think officially Hitler was not Head of State.