BaL 24.05.14: Beethoven Symphony no. 2 in D

[amateur51]

All this talk of the 2nd is giving me a 'new Beethoven cycle' itch I might have to scratch. I've got my eye on the supposedly Furtwanglerian Barenboim/Staatskapelle Dresen, Wand (RCA), and Jochum/LSO.

Anyone have any of thoughts on any of these?

Konwitschny and Schuricht

[Thropplenoggin]

Konwitschny and Schuricht

I have the former, the latter is new to me.

[visualnickmos]

....Wand (RCA) ....

Anyone have any of thoughts on any of these?

Wand/RCA with the NDRO(?) is excellent - but doesn't seem to get much attention when LvB symphonies cycles are the subject, for some reason.

[Thropplenoggin]

Wand/RCA with the NDRO(?) is excellent - but doesn't seem to get much attention when LvB symphonies cycles are the subject, for some reason.

Thanks, VN. However, I believe this used to be the Gramophone choice for a complete cycle.

[Sir Velo]

To me it always felt as if Beethoven regressed artistically with this symphony in comparison with contemporaneous compositions such as the "Tempest" sonata, the Eroica variations or the 3rd piano concerto. It's as if he's standing on the edge of the precipice, not quite able to convince himself to take the next step. The next symphony, the "Eroica" was where the great leap forward into the unknown occurred in his symphonic development.

[Barbirollians]

On the other hand the Beethoven 2 could be regarded as the apogee of the classical symphony . This is as far as this form can go hence the great leap .

[cloughie]

Konwitschny and Schuricht

The latter with its French accent!

[Roehre]

To me it always felt as if Beethoven regressed artistically with this symphony in comparison with contemporaneous compositions such as the "Tempest" sonata, the Eroica variations or the 3rd piano concerto. It's as if he's standing on the edge of the precipice, not quite able to convince himself to take the next step. The next symphony, the "Eroica" was where the great leap forward into the unknown occurred in his symphonic development.

Beethoven's development and wish to experiment was not at an overall similar speed through the genres in which he composed. He sketched ideas and explored, used and developed them further most of the time starting in small forms, like piano variations and piano sonatas and then gradually covering larger forces and forms.
Though his 2nd symphony is less audacious than the piano sonatas opus 31 or the violin sonatas opus 30, it is not regression but not having reached a similar point of development.

A good example of works starting from basically very similar if not identical sketches are the Appassionata, the Rasumovsky quartets [especially no.1], the 4th piano concerto, the violin concerto and culminating in the 5th symphony.

The lyricism of the violin sonata op.96 finds its roots in the Sonatas op.78, 81a and 90, while the sonata op.79 revisits material used much earlier in the Ritterballet from 1790.

The late piano sonatas and especially the Diabelli variations [op.120 started in 1819 with some 20 variations, with another 12 added and interspersed in 1822/'23, exploring new ideas] are the starting point for the 9th symphony and the late quartets, with some really audacious ideas tried out in the Bagatelles op.119 and 126.

[Petrushka]

Wand/RCA with the NDRO(?) is excellent - but doesn't seem to get much attention when LvB symphonies cycles are the subject, for some reason.

To be honest, what put me off acquiring this set was the huge doorstopper of a box it came in! Is this still the case (no pun intended)?

I do have the 9th from this set as a single CD and it's one of my favourites.

[Karafan]

The latter with its French accent!

As is the beautiful 1960 LSO performance under Pierre Monteux: a glorious performance in wonderfully glowing, period Decca sound.

I have been rediscovering some of my Monteux recordings of late, and this No.2 and the magnificent Concertgebouw Eroica from July 1962 really stand head and shoulders above the competition - and my LvB symphonies cover three long shelves!

K.

[Bryn]

... my LvB symphonies cover three long shelves!

How long is "long" in this instance?

[Roehre]

.....- and my LvB symphonies cover three long shelves!

6 cm LPs and 7 cm CDs in my place.

[verismissimo]

6 cm LPs and 7 cm CDs in my place.

10cm LPS; 12cm CDs.
Does that constitute a win or a loss?

[richardfinegold]

All this talk of the 2nd is giving me a 'new Beethoven cycle' itch I might have to scratch. I've got my eye on the supposedly Furtwanglerian Barenboim/Staatskapelle Dresen, Wand (RCA), and Jochum/LSO.

Anyone have any of thoughts on any of these?

If the choice was between those 3 sets, I've never heard the Jochum, but that would tempt me the most.
I have a disc pairing 3/8 from the Wand. It is good but not especially memorable.
I had bought DVD-A of 3-6 and 9 from the barenboim when that format was dying and they were being offered at steep discounts. The most recommendable
feature of this set is the sound of the orchestra, vividly captured in the DVD-A format. The disc pairing 4/5 gets played a lot, but 3,6,9 are all dissapointments.

[Roehre]

10cm LPS; 12cm CDs.
Does that constitute a win or a loss?

draw ?