(Royal) Concertgebouw Orchestra

[richardfinegold]

The orchestra just released a curious Beethoven cycle, featuring 9 different conductors in concerts dating from roughly 1980 to 2010. There are some interesting choices; Bernstein in #2, Jansons in #5, Harnoncourt in the the Eroica, C. Kleiber in #7, and Dorati in the Ninth. No Haitink

[Alison]

The orchestra just released a curious Beethoven cycle, featuring 9 different conductors in concerts dating from roughly 1980 to 2010. There are some interesting choices; Bernstein in #2, Jansons in #5, Harnoncourt in the the Eroica, C. Kleiber in #7, and Dorati in the Ninth. No Haitink

It looks quite an intriguing mix though a Haitink performance, and maybe Chailly, would have added something.

[Petrushka]

It looks quite an intriguing mix though a Haitink performance, and maybe Chailly, would have added something.

I believe that the thinking was that they didn't want to include performances from conductors who had already recorded a Beethoven cycle with them which certainly ruled out Haitink and Mengelberg, in much the same way that the NYPO Mahler Radio Broadcasts set deliberately omitted any Bernstein. Not sure about Chailly though. His RCO years seem to have been largely forgotten.

There is a live Haitink 'Choral' from 1983 which appeared on Philips and I'm sure you've got that one, Alison.

I've been meaning for ages to get the Pristine release of Mengelberg's live 1940 cycle one that I think JLW spoke highly of at one time, though I'm wondering if there might be any difficulties in delivering CDs to the UK. Might have to resort to the download route otherwise.

[EnemyoftheStoat]

I believe that the thinking was that they didn't want to include performances from conductors who had already recorded a Beethoven cycle with them which certainly ruled out Haitink and Mengelberg, in much the same way that the NYPO Mahler Radio Broadcasts set deliberately omitted any Bernstein. Not sure about Chailly though. His RCO years seem to have been largely forgotten.

There is a live Haitink 'Choral' from 1983 which appeared on Philips and I'm sure you've got that one, Alison.

I've been meaning for ages to get the Pristine release of Mengelberg's live 1940 cycle one that I think JLW spoke highly of at one time, though I'm wondering if there might be any difficulties in delivering CDs to the UK. Might have to resort to the download route otherwise.

I suspect (though no more than that) that the Chailly omission may be due to contractual issues. That said, his Mahler 8 was included in the RCO 125 boxes despite his Decca recording, so who knows.

[Petrushka]

I suspect (though no more than that) that the Chailly omission may be due to contractual issues. That said, his Mahler 8 was included in the RCO 125 boxes despite his Decca recording, so who knows.

A glance through the RCO archive shows that Chailly didn't actually perform many of the Beethoven symphonies - just 1, 2, 4 & 7 http://archief.concertgebouworkest.n...rchive/search/ and it could be that radio recordings of those that exist were not deemed worthy of being included in the set with others having greater claims.

[richardfinegold]

A glance through the RCO archive shows that Chailly didn't actually perform many of the Beethoven symphonies - just 1, 2, 4 & 7 http://archief.concertgebouworkest.n...rchive/search/ and it could be that radio recordings of those that exist were not deemed worthy of being included in the set with others having greater claims.

I’m not sure about the’greater claims’ part. The one review of the set that I read was pretty unfavorable, liking only the Bernstein and in the Fourth Blomstedt. I find that review hard to take, however; surely Jansons in 5 and Kleiber in 7 must be worth a listen.
I heard Dorati in 9 from about the same time as this Concertgebou recording. Dorati had just been appointed the MD in Detroit and kicked things off with a Beethoven cycle and while some of his Beethoven Mercury recordings are reasonably vigorous my friends and I thought that performance of the 9th was interminable. The review of this RCO 9th seems congruent with that experience and speculates as to whether or not the RCO must of had a less enervating concert for what after all should be the crowning jewel in a Beethoven cycle.
I really enjoyed the RCO Mahler cycle, done with 10 different conductors, which I acquired at a deeply discounted price on Blu Ray and have played though many times. This one however I will give a pass