My First Beethoven

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I'm told he was more of a specialist in avant garde music and venturing into Beethoven was an unusual move for him: I must admit that I've very seldom come across him in other repertoire. What his Beethoven was like I couldnt say - as another post noted, when the music is new to you its the music that counts, not the interpretation.

The Beethoven set is still variously available at quite high prices on CD, or on this rather cheap MP3 download:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beethovens-Finest-Symphonies-Ren%C3%A9-Leibowitz/dp/B006CQK128/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1402905941&sr=8-2&keywords=rene+leibowitz+beethoven

... I love the title, "Beethoven's finest Symphonies", for a set that contains all Nine - fine by me!

I, too, had avoided these recordings because of the RD connection, but about twenty years ago, friends bought the set on cassette tapes: remarkably good performances, I remember. Haven't heard them since - - I suspect I'm about to clog up my computer with even more downloaded MP3s!

Leibowitz wrote one of the very first studies of the Second Viennese School (and was one of the very few Musicians in France before 1950 who took this Music seriously). There are recordings of a couple of works by Schönberg and a very dull one of - of all things - Gaite Parisienne. But he wasn't much in favour with younger composers - Boulez went to study with him briefly, as Liebowitz was the only academic in France who knew about Serialism in any real depth. Not deep enough for the rolling stone, who found Leibowitz's teaching methods academic and restrictive. After a couple of lessons, Boulez swore at Leibowitz and stormed out of his classes, never to return.

[gradus]

I got to know the Beethoven syms courtesy of WRC and the LSO/Krips stereo recordings delivered by post. Their performances of the first, second, fourth and eighth are the ones that I would turn to for favourite versions - lyrical, fleet and vivacious.
Toscanini's recording of the seventh reissued on RCA Camden was next and I have yet to hear a performance I enjoy more.

[Sir Velo]

My parents had Horst Stein conducting the Bamberg SO in the 5th on an old Pye Golden Guinea LP.

We also had Colin Davis and the BBC SO in the 7th.

My first complete set was Loughran's budget price Halle set from the 80s as an introductory offer with one of the music clubs. Distinctly low fi sound but wonderfully committed performances.

[Bryn]

My first Pastoral was a Philips 10" (Otterloo). I bought it on an exchange trip to France, prior to my 'O' levels. I think I still have it in the loft.

The first Beethoven LP in the house was of the Schuricht 5th and the Finale of the 9th. My father could only afford to by one disc at the time, and I thus only got to hear the first three movements of the 9th in that recording when, principally out of nostalgia, I bought the full set of symphonies a couple of years ago. I'm glad I did. It's rather good for its time.

[Just retrieved the Otterloo Pastoral. It turns out to have been on the Fontana label, 675.003 KR. The first 2 movements are on side A, the rest on side B. The orchestra is given as "Orchestre Philharmoniqye de La Haye".]

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

#5-My parents had a mono Vox recording of Otto Klemperer and god knows what orchestra.

I wonder whether this may have been the Vienna Symphony Orchestra. Klemperer made some Vox recordings with them.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I wonder whether this may have been the Vienna Symphony Orchestra. Klemperer made some Vox recordings with them.

... seems likely - and wasn't this recording re-released on CD as the cover disc of The Great Composers about 15 years ago? (A very different series from The Great Musicians of the late '60s/early'70s I mentioned above.)

EDIT = yes, it was! (Except that, instead of it being "about 15 years ago", it's actually twenty-four years! Which has depressed me, somewhat!)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Great-Composers-Their-Music/dp/B003ZYT8CO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1402909681&sr=8-1&keywords=the+great+composers+and+their+music%2C+klemperer%2C+beethoven

[Bryn]

The Beethoven set is still variously available at quite high prices on CD, or on this rather cheap MP3 download:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beethovens-F...witz+beethoven ...

If the 320 kbps online listening mp3s on Qobuz are anything to go by, there are a fair few untidy edits and a more than a little scrappy string ensemble in those recordings. Interesting though.

[Dave2002]

Thanks fhg (msg 45) for confirming that I've still got a memory, and for saving me from having to go looking for the 10 inch LP. Now you have me wondering whether I also have the first symphony in the same series. I did (do) have Alfred Brendel playing some Beethoven piano sonatas - including the Waldstein - lovely performance IIRC.

[Barbirollians]

My first Beethoven was a concerto and it remains one of my favourite records - the Fifth with Barenboim and Klemperer.

Symphonies first listened to the Kleiber Pastoral on Ace of Clubs first owned Loughran's ASV set .Perhaps poor pressings but never really warmed to it and Jochum EMI Eminence records seemed a big step up .

[richardfinegold]

I am a little confused by the reappearance of this thread (though I find it most welcome). I am vacationing in an area in an old house with spotty internet availability and wondering if people are posting in this thread again or if some wi fi gremlin resurrected it.
It is fascinating to see some of these recordings mentioned. Regarding Readers Digest, it was easy to be condescending to thier approach, especially as I remember these being sold in groceries and the like. I had many friends whose Parents purchased these collections, put them on the shelves for display, and probably thought no more of them. There are many fine performances contained in those sets. Horesntein and Earl Wild in Rachmaninoff; Horenstein in Dvorak, Tchaikovsky and Brahms, and I can't remember what else.
"Beethoven's Finest Symphonies". Perhaps RD knew something that we didn't. After all, they did leave Wellington's Victory out of the set.
Karafan--I prefer the BBC Toscanini Eroica from circa 1935.

[richardfinegold]

My first Beethoven was a concerto and it remains one of my favourite records - the Fifth with Barenboim and Klemperer.

Symphonies first listened to the Kleiber Pastoral on Ace of Clubs first owned Loughran's ASV set .Perhaps poor pressings but never really warmed to it and Jochum EMI Eminence records seemed a big step up .

One of my first Beethoven lps that I purchased with my own $ is the 3rd Piano Concerto with Barenboim as the soloist and Lazlo Somoygi (about whom I know absolutely nothing else) conducting. It is still my preferd version

[waldo]

My first Beethoven experience was a TV advert for electricity in the 1980s. I hummed it to my music teacher at school and was told it was the opening movement of Beethoven's third symphony. Then I went out and bought a cassette with Beethoven 3 and 4 from WHSmiths. No idea who was conducting. In those days, I didn't know it mattered.......or that it was necessary to own eighteen different versions of the same work.

[Karafan]

'Twas I who unearthed the thread Richard - as I have been looking at the bigToscanini box and was doing a bit of site searching on him :)

[Richard Tarleton]

My first Beethoven LPs were 6 Chicago/Reiner (a Gramophone Recommended Recording at the time), VC Grumiaux and PC5 Kempff.

[visualnickmos]

Mine was a CfP LP, I bought as young teenager in, I think 1971 or 72, from Boots the Chemist, Chatham, Kent. Those were the days! Symphonies 5 & 8, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Andre Cluytens.

Not bad for starters!