I was going to leave my LvB cycle reviews at 9 but I've been listening to a few old cycles lately and I've just got hold of one I've been after for a while so I thought I'd enlighten you and, unlike Beethoven, I wanted to make it to number 10 (oooh Merl that was harsh)! As always, these are my personal views. You may or may not agree but feel free to add anything pertinent to these performances in the comments. Again, I've tried to cover some of the lesser known or rarer sets here so many of these are either expensive to obtain from abroad or seriously out of print but whatever the case it's nice to know what they sound like so I've tried to give some indication of this in my short reviews. Anyway, enough of the waffle....here goes.
My ratings are:
C Satisfactory cycle. Ok, but nothing to shout about
B- Good cycle but flawed (see decriptions in thread).
B Good standard. A decent library set or better.
B+ Very good set. Some very impressive performances. Well worth investing in.
A- Excellent set just missing a little something to take it to the top of the pile but all performances very good or better.
A* Wow! Currently the cream of the crop out there in LvB Cycleland. Buy, borrow or listen, now!
Giulini / La Scala ('Giulini Conducts Beethoven' Symphonies 1-8 only)
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Broad Klemperer-esque tempi underpin Giulini's vision of Beethoven. This is particularly so in the performances of Symphonies 1 and 2 but even so I enjoyed Giulini's 1st. The 2nd is far less successful and this drop in tempo also makes the Eroica a little bit of a trudge. That's a shame as Giulini ellicits some lovely playing from La Scala which is particularly good in a nice 4th, full of lovely inner detail but weighty too with warmth and swagger. For the 5th there's plenty of power but again the performance is hampered by Giulini adopting, and strictly adhering, to a pace that lacks forward momentum in the first movement. However, the 5th gets better from there on and erupts into a decent finale unlike a rather placcid and largely uneventful Pastoral. Again Beethoven's pulse is missing and the Storm is just dull which is unfortunate as some of the wind playing is gorgeous. Giulini totally kills the 7th with pedestrian speeds, especially in possibly the slowest scherzo (apart from Klemperer) I've ever heard. The biggest success of the set is a well-mannered 8th, taken at a moderate pace with some excellent string-playing. If you want to augment this set with a 9th there's a good EMI Choral with the LSO or a broader but more sylistic account with the BPO on DG. Recorded sound is very good and La Scala really play their hearts out for him but it's nothing more than satisfactory as a cycle.
Grade: C
Ferencsik / Hungarian PO
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This set will be familiar to many and it's one that's been doing the rounds for years and was a cheap buy back on the old Laserlight label. Ferencsik's cycle has plenty of warmth but his vision lacks power when it's needed. There's little seriously wrong with the whole set, tbh and apart from some wobbly intonation and uneven strings here and there and variable recording quality it's a good place for newbies to the cycle to get to know Beethoven. Moderate tempi throughout and the 1st, 4th and a particularly engaging 7th fare best of all. Other performances are ok except a tired 2nd and boring 8th. The 9th starts out very well, with nicely shaped first and second movements before petering out in a largely anonymous ending. I don't think i need to go into specifics any further. A decent beginner set but nowt special.
Grade: C
Antonini / Basel
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This is another of those sets that caused me a lot of listening and thinking. On paper, I should love this set as it has many of the things I like about period performance Beethoven - metronome-like speeds, unfussy readings and good dynamic contrasts however there's something here that just doesn't seem right. The critics certainly rated these performances but do I? After repeated listens I figured it out (but I'll come back to that at the end). So to the performances. Well, the 1st, 3rd and 7th are the best of the set containing lovely contrasts and nice clipped phrasing. The 7th is particularly good and is taken at a fair clip with some excellent playing from the Basel forces. The 6th lacks a bit of body and for all it's beautiful playing, especially by the winds, it comes across as lightweight and a bit po-faced and herein lies the problem. For all it's splendid playing there's a clinical feel about this set that I find hard to shake. Just so, the whole set fails to hook me in. Yes, it's good Beethoven (don't get me wrong) but is it as convincing as Krivine or as warm as Immerseel? The answer is no. The 5th is proficient and well-phrased but the 8th lacks joy and that's the problem. It's all a bit serious and to cap it off we get a very weedy, speedy (that first movement is damn quick) and awful 9th. There are moments where this cycle really does shine (the 2nd is as good as the 1st, btw) but for now it's just not doing it for me. I need to revisit this one in the future as it's one I may change my mind about. Frustrating.
Grade: B-
Marriner / ASMF
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It's taken me some time to get hold of this one and to some extent it reminds me very much of Dorati's now 'lost' RPO cycle, on Mercury. The ASMF are undoubtedly excellent musicians and Marriner was capable of some excellent performances (his Schumann cycle was particularly fine). However this was not one of them. To cut to the chase, it's very, very boring. Hurwitz has called this cycle "The most boring Beethoven cycle ever recorded" and whilst there are quite a few that might steal that particular prize he is right that the performances that make up this cycle are by and large extremely dull. I'll start with the best parts. Symphonies 1&2 receive technicallly excellent performances devoid of any character and the 9th (bolstered by the LSO) is by far the best of the set, starting adequately before revving up to a really well sung finale. If only all the performances here were as bouyant as that! Elsewhere all the performances are the same. A lack of phrasing, drive, pulse and interest (it really does sound like an orchestra going through the motions) characterise every account. The 4th is the best of the rest but it's still largely anonymous and the worst are either an undynamic 5th or a 7th that goes absolutely nowhere. Speeds are moderate and the recordings are surprisingly very good but it doesn't make up for the fact that this is the most characterless cycle I've ever come across, even if it is immaculately played.
Grade: D
Fruhbeck de Burgos / Danish National SO
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At the end of his life, Fruhbeck de Burgos set down this live cycle with his Danish forces and it was subsequently committed to Blu-Ray. Like Jordan and Fischer before, I'm not going to comment on the visual side of these performances just the music. And what fine music-making it is. Look, you're not going to be shocked when I say this is 'traditional' Beethoven done with moderate pacing but it's done so well you can hardly grumble. The big one here is the recorded sound which I really like. It's got lots of bottom end. Those basses really dig and the timpani cuts through the mix with thunderous precision at times (kudos to the timpanist here who, although not using hard sticks, gets some lovely snappy precise playing). Yes, turn this one up and it's a sonic treat. Performance-wise it's the polar opposite of Marriner's borefest. Nicely-timed attacks, a fluent, relaxed, forward momentum and some exquisite, little touches make this a highly-enjoyable set. The 4th is very meaty and there's a fine selection of soloists in the 9th (which is a very good account). Elsewhere there's a broad but well-crafted Pastoral, a solid 7th (which would have benefited from being a bit quicker) but the star of the show is a lovely 8th that I enjoyed a great deal (he obviously does too from the look on his face after its finished). It's all rounded off with an old-school 5th that's ok and good accounts of the first two symphonies. The only performance that fails to convince me, here, is the Eroica (it's a bit grandoise for my tastes) however make no bones about it this is a good set and you'll find it impossible to dislike these performances. This is a seasoned Beethoven interpreter who knows how to get the most from his orchestra.
Grade: B
So there we go for a while. I've no plans for another installment at the moment (50 reviews has been a big task and it takes me a lot of listening, pondering and then writing these). Hope you've enjoyed reading these. If not. at least you're now aware of yet more cycles out there to explore. Links to my other reviews are below.
Merl's Beethoven Symphony Cycle Reviews Pt9
Merl's Beethoven Symphony Cycle Reviews Pt8
Merl's Beethoven Symphony Cycle Reviews Pt7
Merl's Beethoven Symphony Cycle Reviews Pt6
Merl's Beethoven Symphony Cycle Reviews Pt5
Merl's Beethoven Symphony Cycle Reviews Pt4
Merl's Beethoven Symphony Cycle Reviews Pt3
Merl's Beethoven Symphony Cycle Review Pt2
Merl's Beethoven Symphony Cycle Reviews Pt1
My ratings are:
C Satisfactory cycle. Ok, but nothing to shout about
B- Good cycle but flawed (see decriptions in thread).
B Good standard. A decent library set or better.
B+ Very good set. Some very impressive performances. Well worth investing in.
A- Excellent set just missing a little something to take it to the top of the pile but all performances very good or better.
A* Wow! Currently the cream of the crop out there in LvB Cycleland. Buy, borrow or listen, now!
Giulini / La Scala ('Giulini Conducts Beethoven' Symphonies 1-8 only)
Broad Klemperer-esque tempi underpin Giulini's vision of Beethoven. This is particularly so in the performances of Symphonies 1 and 2 but even so I enjoyed Giulini's 1st. The 2nd is far less successful and this drop in tempo also makes the Eroica a little bit of a trudge. That's a shame as Giulini ellicits some lovely playing from La Scala which is particularly good in a nice 4th, full of lovely inner detail but weighty too with warmth and swagger. For the 5th there's plenty of power but again the performance is hampered by Giulini adopting, and strictly adhering, to a pace that lacks forward momentum in the first movement. However, the 5th gets better from there on and erupts into a decent finale unlike a rather placcid and largely uneventful Pastoral. Again Beethoven's pulse is missing and the Storm is just dull which is unfortunate as some of the wind playing is gorgeous. Giulini totally kills the 7th with pedestrian speeds, especially in possibly the slowest scherzo (apart from Klemperer) I've ever heard. The biggest success of the set is a well-mannered 8th, taken at a moderate pace with some excellent string-playing. If you want to augment this set with a 9th there's a good EMI Choral with the LSO or a broader but more sylistic account with the BPO on DG. Recorded sound is very good and La Scala really play their hearts out for him but it's nothing more than satisfactory as a cycle.
Grade: C
Ferencsik / Hungarian PO
This set will be familiar to many and it's one that's been doing the rounds for years and was a cheap buy back on the old Laserlight label. Ferencsik's cycle has plenty of warmth but his vision lacks power when it's needed. There's little seriously wrong with the whole set, tbh and apart from some wobbly intonation and uneven strings here and there and variable recording quality it's a good place for newbies to the cycle to get to know Beethoven. Moderate tempi throughout and the 1st, 4th and a particularly engaging 7th fare best of all. Other performances are ok except a tired 2nd and boring 8th. The 9th starts out very well, with nicely shaped first and second movements before petering out in a largely anonymous ending. I don't think i need to go into specifics any further. A decent beginner set but nowt special.
Grade: C
Antonini / Basel
This is another of those sets that caused me a lot of listening and thinking. On paper, I should love this set as it has many of the things I like about period performance Beethoven - metronome-like speeds, unfussy readings and good dynamic contrasts however there's something here that just doesn't seem right. The critics certainly rated these performances but do I? After repeated listens I figured it out (but I'll come back to that at the end). So to the performances. Well, the 1st, 3rd and 7th are the best of the set containing lovely contrasts and nice clipped phrasing. The 7th is particularly good and is taken at a fair clip with some excellent playing from the Basel forces. The 6th lacks a bit of body and for all it's beautiful playing, especially by the winds, it comes across as lightweight and a bit po-faced and herein lies the problem. For all it's splendid playing there's a clinical feel about this set that I find hard to shake. Just so, the whole set fails to hook me in. Yes, it's good Beethoven (don't get me wrong) but is it as convincing as Krivine or as warm as Immerseel? The answer is no. The 5th is proficient and well-phrased but the 8th lacks joy and that's the problem. It's all a bit serious and to cap it off we get a very weedy, speedy (that first movement is damn quick) and awful 9th. There are moments where this cycle really does shine (the 2nd is as good as the 1st, btw) but for now it's just not doing it for me. I need to revisit this one in the future as it's one I may change my mind about. Frustrating.
Grade: B-
Marriner / ASMF
It's taken me some time to get hold of this one and to some extent it reminds me very much of Dorati's now 'lost' RPO cycle, on Mercury. The ASMF are undoubtedly excellent musicians and Marriner was capable of some excellent performances (his Schumann cycle was particularly fine). However this was not one of them. To cut to the chase, it's very, very boring. Hurwitz has called this cycle "The most boring Beethoven cycle ever recorded" and whilst there are quite a few that might steal that particular prize he is right that the performances that make up this cycle are by and large extremely dull. I'll start with the best parts. Symphonies 1&2 receive technicallly excellent performances devoid of any character and the 9th (bolstered by the LSO) is by far the best of the set, starting adequately before revving up to a really well sung finale. If only all the performances here were as bouyant as that! Elsewhere all the performances are the same. A lack of phrasing, drive, pulse and interest (it really does sound like an orchestra going through the motions) characterise every account. The 4th is the best of the rest but it's still largely anonymous and the worst are either an undynamic 5th or a 7th that goes absolutely nowhere. Speeds are moderate and the recordings are surprisingly very good but it doesn't make up for the fact that this is the most characterless cycle I've ever come across, even if it is immaculately played.
Grade: D
Fruhbeck de Burgos / Danish National SO
At the end of his life, Fruhbeck de Burgos set down this live cycle with his Danish forces and it was subsequently committed to Blu-Ray. Like Jordan and Fischer before, I'm not going to comment on the visual side of these performances just the music. And what fine music-making it is. Look, you're not going to be shocked when I say this is 'traditional' Beethoven done with moderate pacing but it's done so well you can hardly grumble. The big one here is the recorded sound which I really like. It's got lots of bottom end. Those basses really dig and the timpani cuts through the mix with thunderous precision at times (kudos to the timpanist here who, although not using hard sticks, gets some lovely snappy precise playing). Yes, turn this one up and it's a sonic treat. Performance-wise it's the polar opposite of Marriner's borefest. Nicely-timed attacks, a fluent, relaxed, forward momentum and some exquisite, little touches make this a highly-enjoyable set. The 4th is very meaty and there's a fine selection of soloists in the 9th (which is a very good account). Elsewhere there's a broad but well-crafted Pastoral, a solid 7th (which would have benefited from being a bit quicker) but the star of the show is a lovely 8th that I enjoyed a great deal (he obviously does too from the look on his face after its finished). It's all rounded off with an old-school 5th that's ok and good accounts of the first two symphonies. The only performance that fails to convince me, here, is the Eroica (it's a bit grandoise for my tastes) however make no bones about it this is a good set and you'll find it impossible to dislike these performances. This is a seasoned Beethoven interpreter who knows how to get the most from his orchestra.
Grade: B
So there we go for a while. I've no plans for another installment at the moment (50 reviews has been a big task and it takes me a lot of listening, pondering and then writing these). Hope you've enjoyed reading these. If not. at least you're now aware of yet more cycles out there to explore. Links to my other reviews are below.
Merl's Beethoven Symphony Cycle Reviews Pt9
Merl's Beethoven Symphony Cycle Reviews Pt8
Merl's Beethoven Symphony Cycle Reviews Pt7
Merl's Beethoven Symphony Cycle Reviews Pt6
Merl's Beethoven Symphony Cycle Reviews Pt5
Merl's Beethoven Symphony Cycle Reviews Pt4
Merl's Beethoven Symphony Cycle Reviews Pt3
Merl's Beethoven Symphony Cycle Review Pt2
Merl's Beethoven Symphony Cycle Reviews Pt1
