Beethoven Symphony Cycles

[cloughie]

Currently much in love with the BPO/Cluytens 'cycle' on Erato from the late 1950s. (Haven't listened to the 9th, however.)

HMV in the late fifties but now Erato in France courtesy of the Warner inheritance and very much part of the mostly good big Cluyens box. The set had a LP reissue on LP withe the annoyances of Sym 4 being split over 2 sides with the break being between the 3rd and 4th mvts meaning too long a gap between movements and the ninth having the split part-way through movt 3. As performances they were all excellent!

[BBMmk2]

For me, it beats the famous set Karajan recorded with the same orchestra a few years after. I was lucky enough to get it in the 50 CD French EMI Beethoven Collector's box, twice. The first box cost me around £40. The second was a no-brainer at £5 in an HMV sale.

Is the set available separately?

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Is the set available separately?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beethoven-Symphonies-Andre-Cluytens/dp/B0040UEI8G

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beethoven-Complete-Symphonies-Ludwig-van/dp/B000027IVX

[jayne lee wilson]

The sheer length of this blended thread is a little confusing, but I would once more promote the exceptional intereptative interest of Hermann Scherchen's mono 1950s cycle, the combined LPO (2,4,5,8)/VSO (3) /VSOO(1, 6, 7, 9) one.
Various reissues but if you can find the TAHRA set, you'll find excellent sounding transfers too. This dos NOT, BTW include the later, hair-raisingly fast and very untidy VSOO stereo Eroica. For which relief etc. The brisk stereo 6th from the same time is much better, if just a little too severe, à la HIPPs avant la lettre...

Suffice to say that Beecham's band have terrific power and virtuosity; the Vienna ensembles that warm, woody, marvellously "old-Vienna" sound, strings most especially... so you do get a more varied interpretative result than in many complete, single-orchestra cycles.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

There's a kind-of Furtwangler cycle. But whilst there's a wide take-your-pick choice on the later symphonies, there's only one badly recorded version of number 2.

The 107 CD boxset includes the following:
No. 1 - Concertgebouw (July 1950)
No. 2 - VPO (October 1948)
No. 3 - VPO (November 1952)
No. 4 - VPO (December 1952)
No. 5 - BPO (May 1947)
No. 6 - VPO (November 1952)
No. 7 - VPO (January 1950)
No. 8 - BPO (April 1953)
No. 9 - Bayreuth Restival Chorus and Orchestra (June 1951)

[Barbirollians]

So many live alternatives with Furtwangler - some of them utterly marvellous like that Philharmonia Ninth the summer of 1954 at Lucerne.

My favourite cycle at present is the Philharmonia/Karajan of the 1950s - there is such freshness to it and amazingly good mono sound with a duplicate stereo 9 .

This set includes another Beethoven 7 to refresh one's ears and of course the greatest recording of the Pastoral ever - IMHO.

Presto in their Warner and Erato box set sale are selling this set for only £10.70 !!! Buy buy buy .

[BBMmk2]

So many live alternatives with Furtwangler - some of them utterly marvellous like that Philharmonia Ninth the summer of 1954 at Lucerne.

My favourite cycle at present is the Philharmonia/Karajan of the 1950s - there is such freshness to it and amazingly good mono sound with a duplicate stereo 9 .

This set includes another Beethoven 7 to refresh one's ears and of course the greatest recording of the Pastoral ever - IMHO.

Presto in their Warner and Erato box set sale are selling this set for only £10.70 !!! Buy buy buy .

Muts'nt forget the 9th he did at Bayreuth, late 40s or early 50s?

[Stunsworth]

HMV in the late fifties but now Erato in France courtesy of the Warner inheritance and very much part of the mostly good big Cluyens box. The set had a LP reissue on LP withe the annoyances of Sym 4 being split over 2 sides with the break being between the 3rd and 4th mvts meaning too long a gap between movements and the ninth having the split part-way through movt 3. As performances they were all excellent!

Some of the earliest classical LPs I bought were from the reissues on Classics for Pleasure in the 70s.

I've always had a soft spot for these recordings and bought the CD set for a song in Paris in the 90s.

[cloughie]

Some of the earliest classical LPs I bought were from the reissues on Classics for Pleasure in the 70s.

I've always had a soft spot for these recordings and bought the CD set for a song in Paris in the 90s.

I have a spare set if anyone is interested!

[Alison]

I see a new one is due from Nelsons and the Vienna Philharmonic.

Wasn’t the same conductor supposed to recording the cycle with CBSO?

[BBMmk2]

I see a new one is due from Nelsons and the Vienna Philharmonic.

Wasn’t the same conductor supposed to recording the cycle with CBSO?

I think there will be mixed opinions about this one. I might have a look at the Ádam Fischer cycle with the Danish outfit.

[Zucchini]

I see a new one is due from Nelsons and the Vienna Philharmonic.

Wasn’t the same conductor supposed to recording the cycle with CBSO?

They did, live performances (mainly?) for Orfeo in Symphony Hall. They were binned before release when he moved to Boston & left Orfeo for DG. I attended most - sounded wonderful.

[Alison]

They did, live performances (mainly?) for Orfeo in Symphony Hall. They were binned before release when he moved to Boston & left Orfeo for DG. I attended most - sounded wonderful.

Thank you. That’s a shame, I heard some of them on the radio and very impressive they were.

The VPO set will be worth sampling but it would have been good to have the CBSO on disc. Maybe Mirga and DG will put things right.

[CallMePaul]

I see a new one is due from Nelsons and the Vienna Philharmonic.

Judging from the excerpts played on Record Review last Saturday, these are traditional, measured performances that will please some members of the forum much more than they did me. I am happy to stick with Norrington and Mackerras in complete cycles.

[Bryn]

Judging from the excerpts played on Record Review last Saturday, these are traditional, measured performances that will please some members of the forum much more than they did me. I am happy to stick with Norrington and Mackerras in complete cycles.

What? No Krivine? Difficult to find on CD now, perhaps, but QOBUZ have the set for lossless download at bargain price.