Overview of Beethoven Symphony sets - reviews

[verismissimo]

... somewhere in between: Blomstedt...

I recently acquired Blomstedt on the strength of the enthusiasm of the reviewer at the top of this thread. I think Richard has it precisely. Good playing and recording, but... somewhere in between.

On the other hand, Toscanini's BBCSO recordings, top of the class!

[Dave2002]

... somewhere in between: ... Toscanini (some amazingly good partially cancelled out by a few too hard driven)

However, IIRC, I rather like the way he pushes the 8th on, which by many people's standards is way over the top. No messing about there!

[richardfinegold]

I recently acquired Blomstedt on the strength of the enthusiasm of the reviewer at the top of this thread. I think Richard has it precisely. Good playing and recording, but... somewhere in between.

On the other hand, Toscanini's BBCSO recordings, top of the class!

Glad we agree on Blomstedt. btw, his Schubert cycle (OT, I know) with the same Orchestra, is very inexpensive, and more consistently excellent.
The Toscanini that I was referencing was the NBC SO set. The reviews that I have read of the earlier BBCSO recordings have been more favorable, but I have only heard the Eroica from that cycle.

[richardfinegold]

Thanks for all the responses. It's a wonder they've let the Jochum/RCO go OOP given its reputation.

--

Richard: the Herreweghe one seems to have passed me by. What are is merits?

The worst thing about the Herreweghe set is the packaging. It is contained in some absurd accordion style contraption
that is clumsy and consistently manages to dump at least 2 CDs on the floor no matter how careful one tries to bewhile opening it. I only open it now with it balanced over a mattress so as not to damage the CDs as they land. Since these are SACDs , they can't be burned to a hard drive and still be playable in full DSD, so that option isa non starter.
The recording quality is excellent. The Orchestra is about 80 players, playing modern instruments but as one would expect from the Conductor, using Historically Informed Practice. The times are hard and the horns sound as if they could be period
instruments. The sound has award bloom that beautifully captures hall ambience and instrumental clarity.
Each Symphony stands up well as a performance. Tempos are generally brisk (with exceptions to be noted) without being HIP crazy. 1,2,4,and 6 are the most satisfying. The Eroica is straightforward no nonsense that really dances in the last two movements, with a good but not excellent Funeral March and a swift but not particularly taut first movement. 5 is a middle of the road interp that lets the music make it's own points. 7 is excellent but just lacks that bit of exaltation that I prefer from the likes of Solti or Kleiber.
I have to confess that at the moment I don't remember much about 8, I'll have to have a relisten.
The first two movements of 9 are a bit broad for my taste but III is magical and there is a satisfying choral movement.

[DublinJimbo]

1.
I see only one reference in the replies to Abbado and the Berlin Phil. In light of his passing, I've been investigating recordings of his which aren't already in my collection, and wondered about his Beethoven. I'm confused, though — did he do more than one set? I have him with the BPO as part of DG's Abbado Symphony Edition in what says it is a 2001 recording but is also stated as having been first released in 2008. Am I covered? How is this set regarded (I'm working my way through the Symphony Edition, but haven't sampled the Beethoven yet)?

2.
Other sets I'm keen on are Karajan (1963 – I got to know and love the 4th especially thanks to a mate who had a Revox reel-to-reel tape machine, and we regularly revelled in the magnificent sound at the time), Krivine, Vänskä and Zinman. Sets I haven't listened to in a long time are Colin Davis (Staatskapelle Dresden), Harnoncourt (Chamber Orchestra of Europe), Bernard Haitink (LSO) and Barenboim (West-Eastern Divan — surprisingly, probably bottom of the preference pile).

[akiralx]

1.
I see only one reference in the replies to Abbado and the Berlin Phil. In light of his passing, I've been investigating recordings of his which aren't already in my collection, and wondered about his Beethoven. I'm confused, though — did he do more than one set? I have him with the BPO as part of DG's Abbado Symphony Edition in what says it is a 2001 recording but is also stated as having been first released in 2008. Am I covered? How is this set regarded (I'm working my way through the Symphony Edition, but haven't sampled the Beethoven yet)?

Abbado did a cycle with the BPO in the studio, then later a live cycle in Rome, released on DVD. He preferred the Rome cycle and asked DG to withdraw the studio cycle and release the Rome set on CD.

To be honest I don't like either of them as they sound a tad anodyne - and the COE on his Schubert set sound rather more robust than the BPO, which I am still trying to work out...

My favourite Abbado Beethoven is his earlier Eroica from the VPO cycle on DG, and his one-off BPO Ninth on Sony from Salzburg - that is brilliant.

[DublinJimbo]

Abbado did a cycle with the BPO in the studio, then later a live cycle in Rome, released on DVD. He preferred the Rome cycle and asked DG to withdraw the studio cycle and release the Rome set on CD.

Thanks for that clarification.

My favourite Abbado Beethoven is his earlier Eroica from the VPO cycle on DG, and his one-off BPO Ninth on Sony from Salzburg - that is brilliant.

I've tracked down that 9th and will definitely add it to my collection on the strength of listening to it on Qobuz streaming.

As regards your recommended Eroica, if this is the version recorded live in the Musikverein in June 1985, then I've also tracked that down. Many thanks for both pointers.

[Alison]

I believe the Sony 9th was the BaL choice a couple of years ago.

[HighlandDougie]

I believe the Sony 9th was the BaL choice a couple of years ago.

Stephen Johnson's "modern" recommendation in late 2009 (the live - 1957? -Klemperer on Testament was his overall recommendation). The Salzburg Abbado 9th is more convincing than the performance in the BPO Rome and Berlin cycles (it is, IIRC, the same performance in both). I'm not sure that I find them anodyne but I know what Akiralx means. He was clearly rethinking his approach to the cycle and I'm not sure that he had quite got to the end of that process when he made the recordings - not dissimilar to Chailly in his recent cycle where I can't help thinking that these might not be his final thoughts. Somewhat to my surprise (as I can find him to be a bit 'safe' in the classical repertoire), I've greatly enjoyed the recent Jansons cycle on CD. No great revelations - and very much down the middle of the road by comparison with, say Krivine or (for me much preferable) van Immerseel or Thielemann or the later Brüggen (re-thought but in a slightly surprising way) - but very well recorded and with great orchestral playing. Cluytens for our times if you like.

[gurnemanz]

The live 1960 Klemperer cycle with the Philharmonia in Vienna is on the horizon. I have one disc with Nos 1 and 3 bought ages ago on the obscure Italian Arkadia label. Decent mono sound and highly enjoyable. The Ninth has Fritz Wunderlich and for your ten quid you also get a Kempe Brahms cycle thrown in. I will be tempted to get this.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I will be tempted to get this.

Ooh! I already am! Many thanks for this info, gurne

[Karafan]

Anyone with a desire to dip a toe into Karajanesque waters, might be interested to learn that his sonically (and interpretively) spectacular 1970s cycle has been given a new lease of life by DGG - without having to shell out for the massive 'Karajan 1970s' megabox.

The remasterings are getting some plaudits and the set can now be had rather inexpensively: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...A3P5ROKL5A1OLE

Karafan.

[Petrushka]

Anyone with a desire to dip a toe into Karajanesque waters, might be interested to learn that his sonically (and interpretively) spectacular 1970s cycle has been given a new lease of life by DGG - without having to shell out for the massive 'Karajan 1970s' megabox.

The remasterings are getting some plaudits and the set can now be had rather inexpensively: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...A3P5ROKL5A1OLE

Karafan.

I have the 'Karajan 1970s' megabox and the Beethoven symphonies sound much better than I remembered, though I do have different equipment than I had for the original CD issues. I was still disappointed with the sound of the Bruckner 8 but I'm veering off topic sorry

[Karafan]

Thanks, Petrushka. I think we might well need a Karajan megabox thread!

[akiralx]

I have the 'Karajan 1970s' megabox and the Beethoven symphonies sound much better than I remembered, though I do have different equipment than I had for the original CD issues.

That 1970s Eroica is spectacular, very exciting in the first movement, and yet spiritual throughout. Sad he missed out the expo repeat as usual. I like it so much I bought the Japanese remastering, haven't yet compared that with the 1970s megabox (I have the Korean version of that, which may be the same as the international box)