D Unsatifactory or just boring
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!
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Lombard / Bordeaux Aquitaine
I only properly heard this long OOP set a few years back and I still don't know what to make of it. Alain Lombard was primarily an opera conductor but here he has a crack at Beethoven's mighty nine and it's an intriguing listen. Tempi are slow, which may put you off, but bear with it as it often works! What Lombard does well is dynamics. He and this provincial orchestra really do bring out the inner beauty of Beethoven's symphonies. I'll start with the negative, which in this case is a terribly slow 5th but even here Lombard and his forces still bring out the majesty of the score. Even in the slowest scherzo to the Eroica I've ever heard, Lombard makes his choices sound right mainly because he's got this orchestra in the palm of his hand. The 7th and 8th are again slightly slower than moderate but the sounds he conjures from them are just beautiful. The first movement of the 9th is wrong for me but for the rest of the performance he generates such a lovely soundscape it's hard not to be won over. This is a set you should hear even if you don't like it. It won't be to everyone's tastes and there are moments when he doesn't do it for me but it's so lovingly played it's hard not to fall for its charms. The 7th and 8th fare particularly well.
Grade: B-
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Boyd / Manchester Camerata
Douglas Boyd's stripped down Camerata are basically a Mancunian chamber orchestra. They don't use period instruments and play these symphonies at moderate (or slightly brisker) tempi. Nothing spectacular then.... but hang on! Where Stangel and his Pocket scratchers play this repertoire lightly Boyd and the Camerata really punch well above their weight. These are live recordings (no audience applause) and show the immediacy of them. Tight, punchy rhythms, great concise playing and uniformity mark this cycle. The disc with the 4th and 7th symphonies is particularly good but all performances (apart from a weak and unengaging 6th) are very good. They even manange to make the 9th sound big enough for such small forces. The best way to describe the Camerata's performances are commanding and classy. This is brilliantly played Beethoven which captures the spirit of the symphonies. Think Krivine but less eclectic and consistent and you have these performances. A very good cycle which is superbly recorded and they're from my home city. What else could you want?
Grade: B+
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Polizzi / Prague SO & Budapest SO
Sometimes you might see this largely OOP set knocking around Ebay or in a charity shop. If so don't be tempted, no matter how cheap. It's poor stuff. Tempi are moderate but it's the lack of life in these performances that make it one to avoid. Every symphony receives the same middle-of-the-road treatment and quite frankly it bores you senseless very quickly. Whilst there's nothing wholly unpleasant here (although some of the ensemble playing is ragged, there's some suspect tuning especially in the 9th and places where the strings come in too soon) what really puts this one near the bottom of the pack (along with Fedoyesev' coughfest and Kegel's yawnfest) is the awful recorded sound which makes the strings sound thin, the brass farty and the percussion just plain strange. At times it's as though the (not very good) timpanists are on some sort of sliding rail which takes them further away and then closer to the mics. At points in the 9th it sounds as if the timpanist is in a shed at the back of the studio hitting the timpanis with a cushion however the overall soundscape is unsatisfactory across the cycle. I'd like to pinpoint at least one particularly good performance but I can't. Avoid like the plague.
Grade: D
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Kord / Warsaw PO
Ok, hands up those who have heard of Kazimierz Kord! Yep, not many of you. I certainly hadn't so I Googled him and was met with this not so complimentary quote from the Naxos site "Kord is very much in the traditional mould of the conductor who works predominantly with a single orchestra for an extended period of time, and achieves consistent music making of a very high, if not always spectacular, standard." Hmm, hardly a glowing intro so I approached this cycle with trepidation. Usually I go to the 7th and 9th to start reviewing an LvB cycle but this time I dived straight in and went with the 5th. What I heard took me by surprise. A moderately paced but fiery reading, well-played and quite dynamic. Believing it was a fluke, I dipped my toe in elsewhere and was just as pleasantly surprised. Kord is a good Beethovian. It's traditional stuff but his players really know this music and obviously enjoyed playing it. All performances are consistently good but symphonies 5-7 are even better (the 7th is perfectly judged). It won't blow you away but there's lots to enjoy here, even if the slightly recessed sound lets it down just a little. Otherwise it's a thumbs up!
Grade: B-
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Butt / LSO
Another cycle that flew under the radar and it's certainly a throwback. Butt coaxes some great playing from the LSO in this very 'traditional' take on the symphonies. Tempi are moderate and there's a lovely recorded sound with plenty of air around the instruments, bold bass for the big moments and strong timpani. Orchestral blends are good and there's much to admire here even if there's little to rave about. All symphonies are well played and performed even if they lack the fire that would have put this cycle into the upper bracket of performances. However, Butt makes his choices all make sense and it's an enjoyable take on the 9 that harks back to the Karajan, Szell, Blomstedt type of cycles. Not a bad performance in the set and I especially like the 6th and 8th. One for the library but I'd much rather have Blomstedt (Dresden), Karajan 63, Szell or Haitink's live set with the smae orchestra. One to pick up on the cheap.
Grade: B- / B
My Other reviews:
https://www.talkclassical.com/56071-merls-beethoven-symphony-cycle.html
https://www.talkclassical.com/56016-merls-beethoven-symphony-cycle.html
https://www.talkclassical.com/56014-merls-beethoven-symphony-cycle.html
https://www.talkclassical.com/56013-merls-beethoven-symphony-cycle.html
https://www.talkclassical.com/55991-merls-beethoven-symphony-cycle.html
https://www.talkclassical.com/55988-merls-beethoven-symphony-cycle.html
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!
Lombard / Bordeaux Aquitaine
I only properly heard this long OOP set a few years back and I still don't know what to make of it. Alain Lombard was primarily an opera conductor but here he has a crack at Beethoven's mighty nine and it's an intriguing listen. Tempi are slow, which may put you off, but bear with it as it often works! What Lombard does well is dynamics. He and this provincial orchestra really do bring out the inner beauty of Beethoven's symphonies. I'll start with the negative, which in this case is a terribly slow 5th but even here Lombard and his forces still bring out the majesty of the score. Even in the slowest scherzo to the Eroica I've ever heard, Lombard makes his choices sound right mainly because he's got this orchestra in the palm of his hand. The 7th and 8th are again slightly slower than moderate but the sounds he conjures from them are just beautiful. The first movement of the 9th is wrong for me but for the rest of the performance he generates such a lovely soundscape it's hard not to be won over. This is a set you should hear even if you don't like it. It won't be to everyone's tastes and there are moments when he doesn't do it for me but it's so lovingly played it's hard not to fall for its charms. The 7th and 8th fare particularly well.
Grade: B-
Boyd / Manchester Camerata
Douglas Boyd's stripped down Camerata are basically a Mancunian chamber orchestra. They don't use period instruments and play these symphonies at moderate (or slightly brisker) tempi. Nothing spectacular then.... but hang on! Where Stangel and his Pocket scratchers play this repertoire lightly Boyd and the Camerata really punch well above their weight. These are live recordings (no audience applause) and show the immediacy of them. Tight, punchy rhythms, great concise playing and uniformity mark this cycle. The disc with the 4th and 7th symphonies is particularly good but all performances (apart from a weak and unengaging 6th) are very good. They even manange to make the 9th sound big enough for such small forces. The best way to describe the Camerata's performances are commanding and classy. This is brilliantly played Beethoven which captures the spirit of the symphonies. Think Krivine but less eclectic and consistent and you have these performances. A very good cycle which is superbly recorded and they're from my home city. What else could you want?
Grade: B+
Polizzi / Prague SO & Budapest SO
Sometimes you might see this largely OOP set knocking around Ebay or in a charity shop. If so don't be tempted, no matter how cheap. It's poor stuff. Tempi are moderate but it's the lack of life in these performances that make it one to avoid. Every symphony receives the same middle-of-the-road treatment and quite frankly it bores you senseless very quickly. Whilst there's nothing wholly unpleasant here (although some of the ensemble playing is ragged, there's some suspect tuning especially in the 9th and places where the strings come in too soon) what really puts this one near the bottom of the pack (along with Fedoyesev' coughfest and Kegel's yawnfest) is the awful recorded sound which makes the strings sound thin, the brass farty and the percussion just plain strange. At times it's as though the (not very good) timpanists are on some sort of sliding rail which takes them further away and then closer to the mics. At points in the 9th it sounds as if the timpanist is in a shed at the back of the studio hitting the timpanis with a cushion however the overall soundscape is unsatisfactory across the cycle. I'd like to pinpoint at least one particularly good performance but I can't. Avoid like the plague.
Grade: D
Kord / Warsaw PO
Ok, hands up those who have heard of Kazimierz Kord! Yep, not many of you. I certainly hadn't so I Googled him and was met with this not so complimentary quote from the Naxos site "Kord is very much in the traditional mould of the conductor who works predominantly with a single orchestra for an extended period of time, and achieves consistent music making of a very high, if not always spectacular, standard." Hmm, hardly a glowing intro so I approached this cycle with trepidation. Usually I go to the 7th and 9th to start reviewing an LvB cycle but this time I dived straight in and went with the 5th. What I heard took me by surprise. A moderately paced but fiery reading, well-played and quite dynamic. Believing it was a fluke, I dipped my toe in elsewhere and was just as pleasantly surprised. Kord is a good Beethovian. It's traditional stuff but his players really know this music and obviously enjoyed playing it. All performances are consistently good but symphonies 5-7 are even better (the 7th is perfectly judged). It won't blow you away but there's lots to enjoy here, even if the slightly recessed sound lets it down just a little. Otherwise it's a thumbs up!
Grade: B-
Butt / LSO
Another cycle that flew under the radar and it's certainly a throwback. Butt coaxes some great playing from the LSO in this very 'traditional' take on the symphonies. Tempi are moderate and there's a lovely recorded sound with plenty of air around the instruments, bold bass for the big moments and strong timpani. Orchestral blends are good and there's much to admire here even if there's little to rave about. All symphonies are well played and performed even if they lack the fire that would have put this cycle into the upper bracket of performances. However, Butt makes his choices all make sense and it's an enjoyable take on the 9 that harks back to the Karajan, Szell, Blomstedt type of cycles. Not a bad performance in the set and I especially like the 6th and 8th. One for the library but I'd much rather have Blomstedt (Dresden), Karajan 63, Szell or Haitink's live set with the smae orchestra. One to pick up on the cheap.
Grade: B- / B
My Other reviews:
https://www.talkclassical.com/56071-merls-beethoven-symphony-cycle.html
https://www.talkclassical.com/56016-merls-beethoven-symphony-cycle.html
https://www.talkclassical.com/56014-merls-beethoven-symphony-cycle.html
https://www.talkclassical.com/56013-merls-beethoven-symphony-cycle.html
https://www.talkclassical.com/55991-merls-beethoven-symphony-cycle.html
https://www.talkclassical.com/55988-merls-beethoven-symphony-cycle.html
