István Kertész and Beethoven

[Josquin des Prez]

I just bought the following collection of Beethoven symphonies:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sym-1-5-L-V-Beethoven/dp/B00005NUQ7/ref=sr_1_7?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1302181495&sr=1-7

Its a pretty good set all around, but the Kertesz disk is absolutely incredible. This has possibly the greatest single recording of Beethoven's 4th i ever heard, and possibly one of the best recordings of all time period. Alas, the sound quality isn't that great, and the disk i received has a skip towards the last movement (fuuuuuuuuu). Also, the CD doesn't say when this was recorded.

I was wondering. Anybody knows when this recording was made? Also, if anybody has this performance, could i ask most graciously to have it ripped and uploaded again? The skip maddens me. Lastly, any more obscure recordings by this conductor? I already have all of his Dvorak and Brahms recordings, as well as all of the Mozart he recorded before he died. I also ordered his Schubert, but that's about it so far. He has several other recordings by various composers, but those are readily available and i will acquire in due time. I'm looking for recordings which are either obscure or hard to find. 

Since i've only discovered this conductor recently, i'm wondering whether there was anybody else like him. Fat chance i know, but its worth asking.

[Florestan]

Why don't you write them asking for a replacement of the faulty item?

[Drasko]

It was recorded in 1960, if I'm interpreting hmv site correctly.

http://www.hmv.co.jp/en/product/detail/3929649

and the sound quality judging from the clips is very good, maybe that set you have has an LP transfer.

For less known Kertesz recordings, there is superb recording of early Mozart piano concertos (8 & 9) with young Ashkenazy.

[Scarpia]

I like his Brahms a lot and inexplicable don't have his famous Dvorak set.  His Kodaly recordings are brilliant, and I just noticed he did a Shostakovich 5th, I don't know if that counts as obscure.

[(poco) Sforzando]

Why don't you write them asking for a replacement of the faulty item?

Or a refund, in which case you buy it from someone else.

[RJR]

Love Beethoven's 4th Symphony. I'm not familiar with Kertesz's recordings but I'm pretty sure that they date from the early to mid 60s. I remember hearing about him in the late 60s. Many critics praised his recordings and said that he was a great conductor in the making. Pity that he left this world so suddenly.

I just read that he studied with Zoltan Kodaly. When I typed Kertesz Beethoven in Google to check out the discography/track listings I only found bitTorrent links.

[Lethevich]

Another good 4th by him is his Bruckner. There apparently isn't much difference between the studio and BBC Legends recording, but I found that his genial approach with the work comes off well live.

[Josquin des Prez]

It was recorded in 1960, if I'm interpreting hmv site correctly.

http://www.hmv.co.jp/en/product/detail/3929649

and the sound quality judging from the clips is very good, maybe that set you have has an LP transfer.

For less known Kertesz recordings, there is superb recording of early Mozart piano concertos (8 & 9) with young Ashkenazy.

The sound from that clip is actually better then the disk i have (which also includes the 2nd symphony along with the overtures). Maye it is an LP transfer. Now i wonder if there may be other Beethoven symphonies that never made it to CD.

As for the disk, i bought it used anyway, but the defect seems to be congenital to the pressing because the disk is brand new, no scratches whatsoever. But at this point i'll just buy the one from hmv.

[MishaK]

According to John Berky's site, there should be a Decca/Testament recording of Bruckner 4 with Kertesz/LSO, as well as a different performance of the same on BBC Legends. Arkivmusic seems to have both the BBC and the Testament versions. Has anyone heard either one?

[dirkronk]

Among collectors from LP days, Kertesz may be best known for his set of Dvorak symphonies on Decca. There have been several good-to-excellent cycles to appear in the past couple of decades, but back in the '70s, Kertesz was probably best of the bunch. His 9ths were especially well thought of: his did one with Vienna and then a later one with London as part of that cycle. Audiophile collectors have been known to carp at each other about which one is better sonically (the Vienna has a big bass drum thwak early on that impresses some listeners, while the London version has a slightly different sound and a toned-down drum). In truth, both are more than listenable.

Other recordings to check out: his Brahms serenades (only Stokowski/Sym. of the Air and Brusilow/Phila Chamber best him in the 1st and his 2nd has perhaps even fewer rivals) and his Kodaly (as Scarpia mentioned).

The claim about the Beethoven 4th does make me curious. I went through a long and thorough search for the "ultimate" 4th many years back, with Monteux/LSO, Walter/ColSO and Carlos Kleiber ending up in my personal top three. But the prospect of a "new" contender (even if quite old) makes me want to seek out and hear!

Cheers,

Dirk

[Josquin des Prez]

I uploaded the fourth movement, so you can sample it:

http://rapidshare.com/files/456333315/04_-_Allegro_ma_non_troppo.rar

[eyeresist]

K's Mozart Requiem is the best I've heard.

[RJR]

Lovely 4th movement. Thanks, Josquin. Better tonic than a V8. Or Red Bull, for that matter.

[Brahmsian]

I also ordered his Schubert, but that's about it so far.

Hi JdP.  Although I haven't heard his Beethoven set, I do indeed have that Schubert set he recorded with the WP.  Holy F%&*, is it ever good!!!  Best recording of the Tragic # 4 symphony, and a terrific 5th, 6th and 9th.  The only one I was very midly dissapointed in was the performance of the "Unfinished" 8th.  Set also includes some Overtures I had not ever heard of Schubert's.  To me, this set tops even Abbado's with the COE.

I can almost guarantee you will fall in love with that set, JdP.

[Cascade]

There's a Decca Legends issue of Mozart piano concerts by Clifford Curzon. Three of the five concerts on that album are conducted by Kertesz. Kertesz did an excellent job on those. Curzon's performance is extremely straightforward but certainly not bad.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mozart-Piano-Concertos-Nos-20-23/dp/B00005N56Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1309461809&sr=1-1

The Mozart and the Schubert symphonies he recorded with the Wiener Philharmoniker have already been mentioned. I think they're absolutely terrific.

This one seems pretty obscure though: Beethoven's piano concerts 1 & 3 by Conrad Hansen with Isvan Kertesz. Has anyone heard this? http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Piano-Cocnerto-Istvan-Kertesz/dp/B001ENWT74/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1309462223&sr=8-9