Recordings that you enjoy: Beethoven Symphony #9

[Gurn Blanston]

I'm trying Norrington/Stuttgart. Really pleasantly surprised after several years away from this recording; spunk and vigor and intelligent shaping of phrases. No trademark Norrington wackiness, either.

Yes, that's a nice version. In a lot of ways I am very sorry that Norrington was the pioneer PI recorder of the 9th; he put that "wacky" brand on the entire genre forever after. Despite that I can now enjoy that other version, still, it shouldn't have been the standard against which all subsequent versions are judged.

That said, I like the Stuttgart version for all the reasons you gave.



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Now playing:
USSR Symphony Orchestra / Svetlanov - Glazunov Op 97 Theme with Variations in g for Strings

[knight66]

Gurn, Have you listened to that Leinsdorf yet?

Mike

[Gurn Blanston]

Gurn, Have you listened to that Leinsdorf yet?

Mike

Mike,
Yes, in fact. Been 4 weeks ago already and still hadn't got back here with it. My bad 



Well, there were no tragedies recorded here, just a nice straightforward 9th. The final movement was very good, the soloists (especially Domingo & Marsh) really carried the day. I now have many recordings from the decade of the '60's (which this is from 1969) and I honestly don't know how people can say with a straight face that this or that one is the best recording ever. Certainly there are differences, an accelerando here, a skipped repeat there, the great Prague winds, the great Philadelphia strings... etc., but one could pick one out of a hat from that decade and (barring a collapse of the bass/baritone) be hard pressed to decide who it is. Not who it isn't, but who it is.  There feels like a lot more differences in years previous and and newer efforts too. Interesting phenomenon, I'm rather curious if there is a cause and effect wherein the homogeneity of the 60's and 70's led to the diversity of the 80's and 90's.





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Now playing:
Ensemble Moderntimes 1800 - K 201 Symphony #29 in A 3rd mvmt - Menuetto - Trio - Menuetto

[DavidRoss]

I'm rather curious if there is a cause and effect wherein the homogeneity of the 60's and 70's led to the diversity of the 80's and 90's.

Plausible hypothesis.  From this consumer's point of view, it led to declining interest and demand - both rekindled by the HIP revolution (and increasing confidence in the validity of my own taste).

[Gurn Blanston]

Plausible hypothesis.  From this consumer's point of view, it led to declining interest and demand - both rekindled by the HIP revolution (and increasing confidence in the validity of my own taste).

Yes, clearly what I had in mind. And it isn't because they weren't good back then either; they were universally very good. But it would take a far keener ear than my own to differentiate them, and therein lies the issue, I think. But it's a good thing, it shows that there is yet a dynamism inherent that makes unexpected moves. That makes things interesting, even if certain curmudgeonly old-timers want to grumble...

[knight66]

Thanks for the report back Gurn.

Mike

[Leo K.]

This thread is inspiring me to return to this work again this week. It hasn't been too long since I heard it, as i recently bought the Furtwanger SACD, which I enjoyed immensely:



When I was young and new to Beethoven, my favorites were Norrington/LCP, Bernstein (Berlin wall performance) and this one:



It's been years since I heard the Abbado/VPO, but when I was in High School, this and the Norrington were my main recordings. I especially remember how the Abbado/VPO was always a profound listening experience, each time I played it. I would listen to the Abbado on cassette (in 1988 or so) in the mornings before school, and late into the night, when I should of been doing homework. I no longer own this recording, but this thread is inspiring me to buy it again, for the sake of returning to a much beloved, old recording from my past 

These days I definitely prefer the traditional, ultra-romantic, Furtwangler-mystical Beethoven 9ths, but once in awhile I still love to listen to the old Norrington/LPC and the Hogwood version too. Sometime I want to hear more of the other HIPs I haven't heard, like the Bruggen.

[Leo K.]

This thread is inspiring me to return to this work again this week. It hasn't been too long since I heard it, as i recently bought the Furtwanger SACD, which I enjoyed immensely:

Upon revisting this the other day, I have to say I am more impressed the second time around, and the sound quality is very good for a recording of this age. Great stuff. I was floored.

[Gurn Blanston]

Upon revisting this the other day, I have to say I am more impressed the second time around, and the sound quality is very good for a recording of this age. Great stuff. I was floored.

I have to admit, I am intrigued by the concept of integrating SACD with recordings of that age. Not quite sure how that happens. They must start with a master of extraordinary quality... 

[Leo K.]

I have to admit, I am intrigued by the concept of integrating SACD with recordings of that age. Not quite sure how that happens. They must start with a master of extraordinary quality... 

I'll have to revist the booklet to see if anything is said about the source of this SACD. Although this mono recording is not, nor can ever be, pristine in a modern sense, at least who ever mastered this recording did beautifully with the tonality of the recording, as it has a beautiful sound There is hardly any ear piercing EQ applied as far as I can hear 

[jlaurson]

Just listened to these... and the slow movement of the Thielemann 9th with the Vienna Philharmonic is un-be-lievable.



L.v.B. Symphonies 7, 8, 9
C.Thielemann / WPh

[Gurn Blanston]

Thanks for the rec, Jens. This is one that I will certainly look into. In the event that it is available with USA coding, of course...

[jlaurson]

Thanks for the rec, Jens. This is one that I will certainly look into. In the event that it is available with USA coding, of course...

Oh, it will be. The stuff is distributed by Naxos as both, DVDs and BluRays... I think this one will be out next month.

[Gurn Blanston]

Oh, it will be. The stuff is distributed by Naxos as both, DVDs and BluRays... I think this one will be out next month.

Yup, Amazon have it for pre-order right now. I would have been happy with CD....

[Gurn Blanston]

Today, one of my favorites. The 2 disk set is a repeat of the lineup of the world premiere of the 9th, on May 7, 1824. It starts with the Overture to "The Consecration of the House", followed by what were called (thanks to the edict against playing church music outside of church) "3 Hymns", which were the Kyrie, the Credo and the Agnus Dei from the Missa Solemnis. Not a world premiere, but a Vienna one since it had premiered already in Moscow (IIRC). And finally, the grand event of the evening, "a new, grand symphony by our Louis van Beethoven...".

[asin]B0017SETY2[/asin]

This is a very well played set, first rate all the way and overall a great set to just sit and enjoy from beginning to end. Highly recommended.




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Now playing:
Das neue Orchester \ Spering - Op 125 Symphony #9 in d 3rd mvmt - Adagio molto e cantabile

[Leo K.]

Today, one of my favorites. The 2 disk set is a repeat of the lineup of the world premiere of the 9th, on May 7, 1824. It starts with the Overture to "The Consecration of the House", followed by what were called (thanks to the edict against playing church music outside of church) "3 Hymns", which were the Kyrie, the Credo and the Agnus Dei from the Missa Solemnis. Not a world premiere, but a Vienna one since it had premiered already in Moscow (IIRC). And finally, the grand event of the evening, "a new, grand symphony by our Louis van Beethoven...".

[asin]B0017SETY2[/asin]

This is a very well played set, first rate all the way and overall a great set to just sit and enjoy from beginning to end. Highly recommended.

Thanks for the recommend, as I have not heard of this recording yet...it looks really good.

[Renfield]

Permit me a semi-exhausted exhalation, as I emerge from quite a few pages of catching up.




Right.

Oh, here's another new (to me) one that I forgot to mention. It's funny because I read people writing about Karajan all the time, but I totally missed any reference to this:



Unlike most of you (apparently) I don't have the '77 or '83 (?) versions, only the '55 and '63, so this filled in the gap in his later output quite nicely. I've only had 1 go at it so far, so no solid opinion of it yet, but I liked what I heard, even though it was in the same vein as most traditional recordings.

I'm sure I've mentioned it at some point in the past, but either way this is in many ways the 'finished' version of Karajan's reading of the 9th until 1980. It's got the oomph, the clarity, the precision, and the streamlined refinement, without coming off as too genteel (as was sometimes the risk, if not the case, in the '77 studio version).

[Edit] Clarification: When I say 'Karajan's reading of the 9th' I mean with the BPO.


So, long story short, it's the pre-80s Karajan 9th to have - a good choice! The '83 one, by contrast, a very different animal. I can go into greater detail if you're interested.

I bought this today, having heard or read absolutely nothing about it. Anyone specifically heard this? London SO / Haitink.



Amazon's 6 reviewers say 4 or 5 stars, but that has little value since apparently only people who like things post a review there...

Did you listen to that one? It's not too bad, although the highlight of that cycle for me is the Pastoral. I recall arguing about it with Mark(!) ca. 2007.



Finally, and the main reason I went through the rest of the thread tonight: you don't seem to have the Abbado/CSO 9th. Is that correct?

[asin]B0001ENYEY[/asin]


I picked it up last year, and finally listened to around Christmas. All in all, it's one of the strongest performances of the 9th I've heard. Tempi (though bear in mind I don't exactly pore over the Bärenreiter Urtext), articulation, the reading, the playing and the signing are remarkably, consistently good!

To be clear, I did not find it better than my long-established, mostly 'mystical' favourites (Furtwängler et al.); but I try as I might, I cannot think of a more successful 'pulling off' of almost each and every one of the 9th's tricky individual segments, in a purely musical - and unlike Abbado/BPO, unaffected* - sense.


*By which I mean that the Abbado/BPO 9th sounds like Abbado and the BPO playing Beethoven, to me, whereas this one somehow just sounds like the 9th.


So there's another one to consider, if you haven't already.

[Antoine Marchand]

For those who liked Krivine's performance of the Ninth on period instruments, this will be a good news because now has been released the complete set of Beethoven's symphonies:

Sinéad Mulhern (soprano), Carolin Masur (mezzo-soprano), Dominik Wortig (tenor) & Konstantin Wolff (bass-baritone)

La Chambre Philharmonique (on period instruments) & Choeur de Chambre les Éléments, Emmanuel Krivine

This specially priced 5CD set of the complete symphonies of Beethoven is performed by the period instrument orchestra La Chambre Philharmonique under conductor Emmanuel Krivine. It includes a critically-acclaimed recording of the Symphony No. 9 (V5202) released in 2009, the only one of the CDs to have been previously available.

La Chambre Philharmonique was formed by Emmanuel Krivine and is made up of instrumentalists from the finest European ensembles. Its structure is original, in that conductor and players enjoy equal status and current members choose new players. The size of the ensemble is flexible, bringing together players, instruments and historical techniques as appropriate for each programme. The orchestra's first recording of Mozart's Mass in C Minor (V5043) marked the beginning of its collaboration with Naïve. This was followed by the world premiere recording on period instruments of Dvořák's Symphony No. 9 'From the New World', coupled with Schumann's Konzertstück for four horns and orchestra, which won a Classique d'Or RTL on its release in 2008. Since then its CDs of Mendelssohn's Symphonies (V5069) and Beethoven's Ninth Symphony (V5202) have received numerous awards in the press. These performances of the complete Beethoven Symphonies were recorded in three French venues, Cite de la Musique in Paris, MC2: Grenoble, and the Theatre de Caen).

[Gurn Blanston]

Permit me a semi-exhausted exhalation, as I emerge from quite a few pages of catching up.




Right.


I'm sure I've mentioned it at some point in the past, but either way this is in many ways the 'finished' version of Karajan's reading of the 9th until 1980. It's got the oomph, the clarity, the precision, and the streamlined refinement, without coming off as too genteel (as was sometimes the risk, if not the case, in the '77 studio version).

[Edit] Clarification: When I say 'Karajan's reading of the 9th' I mean with the BPO.


So, long story short, it's the pre-80s Karajan 9th to have - a good choice! The '83 one, by contrast, a very different animal. I can go into greater detail if you're interested.

You are clearly in it for the long haul, Renfield! Thanks for the comments, much appreciated.

I liked this Karajan. I am not overly whelmed by the 77, I think the statements he made in 62 hold up to any revision in studio editions. However, the Tokyo version is a different critter. Maybe they didn't bother messing with it like they do the studio ones, but I feel that it has a rawer and more visceral feel to it. This work could find no more appreciative audience on Earth than the Tokyo one, so maybe that brought out the best in the band and its leader. In any case, I like this one a lot.

Did you listen to that one? It's not too bad, although the highlight of that cycle for me is the Pastoral. I recall arguing about it with Mark(!) ca. 2007.

I do listen to it (as recently as late February), and find it one that I like to come back to. I didn't get the entire cycle (I have my favorite work, and don't see me needing more than 20 each of the others). I like the choral work in this one especially. I have Haitink also with the Concertgebouworkest, and despite their exquisite playing I like this one as well. I am not someone to look to for picking a favorite, since I take each performance strictly on its own terms and don't tend to judge it versus others, but I do like Haitink, he pays homage to the past but doesn't overlook the stylishness of the present either.

Finally, and the main reason I went through the rest of the thread tonight: you don't seem to have the Abbado/CSO 9th. Is that correct?

[asin]B0001ENYEY[/asin]


I picked it up last year, and finally listened to around Christmas. All in all, it's one of the strongest performances of the 9th I've heard. Tempi (though bear in mind I don't exactly pore over the Bärenreiter Urtext), articulation, the reading, the playing and the signing are remarkably, consistently good!

To be clear, I did not find it better than my long-established, mostly 'mystical' favourites (Furtwängler et al.); but I try as I might, I cannot think of a more successful 'pulling off' of almost each and every one of the 9th's tricky individual segments, in a purely musical - and unlike Abbado/BPO, unaffected* - sense.


*By which I mean that the Abbado/BPO 9th sounds like Abbado and the BPO playing Beethoven, to me, whereas this one somehow just sounds like the 9th.


So there's another one to consider, if you haven't already.

I have this BP/Abbado:



I get confused by the numbers of them, I don't which is the early and which the later. In any case, the one that I listen to a lot is actually the one they did in Rome on DVD. I not only enjoy the performance, I enjoy watching as well as listening. I would welcome someone to tell me which is which on these. Also including the WP performance which I would like to have even though many say it isn't up to snuff.

Cheers 



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Now playing:
Collegium musicum 90 - Richard Hickox - Hob 22 04 Missa in honorem BVM pt 01 - Kyrie

[Gurn Blanston]

Digging into my database, this is the Abbado I have on CD:

2000 - Berlin Philharmonic - Abbado, Claudio - Swedish Radio Choir & Eric Ericson Chamber Choir - Kaljuste, Tönu - Mattila, Karita - Urmana, Violeta - Moser, Thomas - Quasthoff, Thomas

I am a fan of Quasthoff, due to his work on behalf of Haydn...



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Now playing:
Collegium musicum 90 - Richard Hickox - Hob 22 04 Missa in honorem BVM pt 06 - Credo - Et incarnatus est