Otto Klemperer (1885-1973)

[Daverz]

Of his Bruckner, I think the live 4th with the BRSO is still one of the top 4ths (beautifully recorded in stereo, a rarity for an early 60s live recording).  I don't like the studio Fidelio much, but I'm very fond of the Magic Flute. 

The Das Lied is also still tops, and the 24/96 download sounds fantastic, though I suspect that's just the mastering.

The Mozart Symphonies and "Romantic Symphonies & Overtures" boxes are essential.

[Leo K.]

(quotes from the rec.musical.classical newsgroup)

"When I was a student, I wrote a paper comparing performances of Brahms 1st
symphony, 4th movement to see how faithfully they adhere to the score, with
particular emphasis on the two introductory sections and the coda (as well as
the section leading into it). I was especially interested to see how tempos
were handled and whether ritards/accelerandos/slower tempi were added in or
ignored in the score. If memory serves, I listened to every recording of the
piece in the library at New England Conservatory (about 20 or so) in
preparation for writing the paper, and all were by conductors I had heard of
at that time. Klemperer's was the *only* one of that group of performances
that did the piece exactly as marked in the score."

-------------------

"In the book Conversations with Klemperer, Klemp himself answered the
question about whether there is a "Klemperer sound" by saying there is -
- characterized by prominence of the woodwinds and a concentration on
the upbeat (the latter he said he learned from Toscanini -- that the
preparation is much more important than the downbeat). He also noted
that a conductor must allow the musicians (and the music) to breathe."

--------------------

"One of the greats for me, for all the reasons given by the rest of the
Klemperer fans.  As to the
sound quality he got from EMI, I couldn't disagree more.  Yes, the Angel
pressings were usually
awful, but do try Klemperer on CD.  The sound on the "Klemperer Legacy"
discs I have is absolutely superb, wonderfully detailed and warm.  I got
hooked on Klemperer only recently from his Schumann 1st and Mendelssohn #4.
I've always loved Bernstein / NYP in the Schumann, but the wind details and
dialogs between the (clearly divided) violins have never registered like
this.  In the Mendelssohn, I compared for a friend her (*** Penguin) Abbado
/ LSO.   First movement very fast, violins massed to the left, and generally
pretty thick sounding.  With Klemp, the room opens up, putting the DG
digital sound to shame.  Much slower with every wonderful detail
registering,  the violins talk to each other, leaving no doubt in my mind
that Mendelssohn wrote these passages with divided violins clearly in mind.
Slower yes, and infinitely sunnier.  "Sounds like a musician next to a
technician" was a perfect summation.

One Klemperer favorite of mine I don't see mentioned is his Symphony
Fantastique.  I've always leaned heavily in favor of the manic approach
(Munch, Bernstein EMI, Freesia), so I approached this one with some
trepidation.  Here's the timings (source of trepidation) compared to Munch
'54.

16:17 (with repeat), 6:41, 18:10, 5:06, 10:49
13:18 (sans repeat), 6:06, 13:50, 4:29,  8:41

With Munch, and the others I mention, it's right to neurosis, Klemperer's
first mvt. is dreamlike and mysterious, with a real sense of a decline in
the works.  His waltz is the best ever, full of details I'd missed (love the
harp).  Slow, yes, but the whole things sways magically.  He also uses the
cornets, and unlike some others (Davis comes to mind), allows them to be
heard.  I've always thought mvt.iii a weak link in this work, but not here.
18:10 of more magic.  Mvt. iv becomes "Dragged to the Scaffold",
tremendously ominous and powerful with great brass playing.  His finale is
just right for all that's come before, plenty of punch without ever whipping
up the tempo.  I still like manic, but wouldn't want to be without this
one.  Klemperer's is a Fantastique to sit back and get lost in."

[Moonfish]

Mozart:
Serenade No 12  K.388/384a
Symphony No 41  K.551

Wiener Philharmoniker/Klemperer

I recently acquired a set of recordings from Testament. Just listened to the first disk with some live Mozart with Klemperer and the WP. At first I was a bit surprised at the live ambience and the vivid sound. The microphones must have been very close up as the WP sounded like they literally were in my living room. I need to give it another listen, but I had a great time. The performances definitely had their own unique flavor. Even the Jupiter warhorse  (which I actually have avoided for a while) sounded fresh and powerful in this recording. Perhaps I am a sucker for the WP...? Now I am curious about what else is in this Testament compilation?


from
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[knight66]

What a great thread. I knew he had illness and a somewhat turbulent life, but not to nearly the extent Lebrecht has illustrated. We so often almost missed out on him. There were so many occasions that could have ended his career before his long Indian summer. I watched the interview, how times change. In England at the period of the interview, he could not often programme Mahler or Stravinsky, as such modern music had little boxoffice appeal.

There are some recording that I have cherrished for years that I have not noticed so far on the thread. His Brahms Requiem is still my go-to version despite flirting with quit a few more modern recordings. It is massive, quite slow, but with an inevitability about the pulse and it is quite overwhelming. The same qualities invest an earlier Mahler 2 than was reviewed above, it has Ferrier and Schwarzkopf in it. Passages take on a mechanistic drive, a propultion that I don't think other conductors found, fascinating music making.

His Magic Flute, again my favourite, despite the lack of dialogue, or sparkle. He finds a heiratic solemnity that absolutely avoids dragging or being turgid. No one else has invested the duet of the armed men with such an elevated approach, it becomes a highlight of the music. Of course, the astonishing cast helps a lot.

I don't get along with his Bach which I do find too slow. His Bruckner, Beethoven and Mahler are terrific, especially that Das Lied which has never been out of the catalogues.

Mike

[Jo498]

But the Brahms Requiem is overall not very slow (it might be in a few movements). I like it a lot, except for Schwarzkopf who really spoils the movement with the soprano solo (about as far from comforting like a mother as I could imagine...).

[Leo K.]

Mozart:
Serenade No 12  K.388/384a
Symphony No 41  K.551

Wiener Philharmoniker/Klemperer

I recently acquired a set of recordings from Testament. Just listened to the first disk with some live Mozart with Klemperer and the WP. At first I was a bit surprised at the live ambience and the vivid sound. The microphones must have been very close up as the WP sounded like they literally were in my living room. I need to give it another listen, but I had a great time. The performances definitely had their own unique flavor. Even the Jupiter warhorse  (which I actually have avoided for a while) sounded fresh and powerful in this recording. Perhaps I am a sucker for the WP...? Now I am curious about what else is in this Testament compilation?
from
[asin] B000A0HFUS[/asin]

I recently got this too and will dive in soon. I got it for the live Mahler 9, but all of these performances I hear are fantastic. After hearing the studio German Requiem (recently for the first time) I'm excited to hear the live account in this box. Aces!

[Leo K.]

What a great thread. I knew he had illness and a somewhat turbulent life, but not to nearly the extent Lebrecht has illustrated. We so often almost missed out on him. There were so many occasions that could have ended his career before his long Indian summer. I watched the interview, how times change. In England at the period of the interview, he could not often programme Mahler or Stravinsky, as such modern music had little boxoffice appeal.

There are some recording that I have cherrished for years that I have not noticed so far on the thread. His Brahms Requiem is still my go-to version despite flirting with quit a few more modern recordings. It is massive, quite slow, but with an inevitability about the pulse and it is quite overwhelming. The same qualities invest an earlier Mahler 2 than was reviewed above, it has Ferrier and Schwarzkopf in it. Passages take on a mechanistic drive, a propultion that I don't think other conductors found, fascinating music making.

His Magic Flute, again my favourite, despite the lack of dialogue, or sparkle. He finds a heiratic solemnity that absolutely avoids dragging or being turgid. No one else has invested the duet of the armed men with such an elevated approach, it becomes a highlight of the music. Of course, the astonishing cast helps a lot.

I don't get along with his Bach which I do find too slow. His Bruckner, Beethoven and Mahler are terrific, especially that Das Lied which has never been out of the catalogues.

Mike

Thank you for your thoughts! As I mentioned above I've been newly listening to Klemp's German Requiem and I'm absolutely blown away. I've acquired all eleven of those new box sets, the Klemperer Legacy series, and have been digging deep. 

Another revelation has been Klemp's Mendelssohn and Schumann. There's so many great things in these boxes. The Marriage of Figaro recording...Wow! That was one I missed all these years.

[knight66]

Leo, After reading this thread, I have ordered a box set of live Bruckner with all the Beethoven Symphonies. Also, I have ordered one of the remastered boxes, Wagner and Strauss. So, mouth watering, I wait...

I forgot about his Brahms symphonies and as you mention his Schumann. I used to have an LP of his Mendelssohn Midsummer Night's Dream, but I remember nothing about it, which is about my insights, not his music making....I may go and look for it. He did a Don Giovanni, but I did not enjoy the women's voices, the Figaro would certainly not be a problem on that score.

Mike

[Leo K.]

Leo, After reading this thread, I have ordered a box set of live Bruckner with all the Beethoven Symphonies. Also, I have ordered one of the remastered boxes, Wagner and Strauss. So, mouth watering, I wait...

I forgot about his Brahms symphonies and as you mention his Schumann. I used to have an LP of his Mendelssohn Midsummer Night's Dream, but I remember nothing about it, which is about my insights, not his music making....I may go and look for it. He did a Don Giovanni, but I did not enjoy the women's voices, the Figaro would certainly not be a problem on that score.

Mike

Aces! The Wagner box is another amazing set, including the first act of Walkure. I've started with the overtures and love the sound quality of the Philharmonia. I'm locked in by Klemperer's pacing, his grand scale readings that don't sacrifice details, in fact he revels in orchestral details!

[Leo K.]

The Figaro account is a fascinating listen. The pacing is much slower and won't be to everyone's taste, but it's like peering into the score with a microscope. Details are captured, not just instruments but rhythms not heard in other accounts. It's transparent like HIP but not lacking in heaviness or an epic elevated outlook.

[NJ Joe]

I own only a few Klemperer discs (Brahms 1, Bruckner 6), but I've always enjoyed this electrifying performance of the 9th:

[revdrdave]

(quotes from the rec.musical.classical newsgroup)

"In the book Conversations with Klemperer, Klemp himself answered the
question about whether there is a "Klemperer sound" by saying there is -
- characterized by prominence of the woodwinds and a concentration on
the upbeat (the latter he said he learned from Toscanini -- that the
preparation is much more important than the downbeat). He also noted
that a conductor must allow the musicians (and the music) to breathe."

One Klemperer favorite of mine I don't see mentioned is his Symphony
Fantastique.  I've always leaned heavily in favor of the manic approach
(Munch, Bernstein EMI, Freesia), so I approached this one with some
trepidation.  Here's the timings (source of trepidation) compared to Munch
'54.

16:17 (with repeat), 6:41, 18:10, 5:06, 10:49
13:18 (sans repeat), 6:06, 13:50, 4:29,  8:41

With Munch, and the others I mention, it's right to neurosis, Klemperer's
first mvt. is dreamlike and mysterious, with a real sense of a decline in
the works.  His waltz is the best ever, full of details I'd missed (love the
harp).  Slow, yes, but the whole things sways magically.  He also uses the
cornets, and unlike some others (Davis comes to mind), allows them to be
heard.  I've always thought mvt.iii a weak link in this work, but not here.
18:10 of more magic.  Mvt. iv becomes "Dragged to the Scaffold",
tremendously ominous and powerful with great brass playing.  His finale is
just right for all that's come before, plenty of punch without ever whipping
up the tempo.  I still like manic, but wouldn't want to be without this
one.  Klemperer's is a Fantastique to sit back and get lost in."

I'm so glad you've mentioned Klemperer's Symphonie Fantastique.  It isn't a Klemperer performance that gets mentioned often yet it's the one that really opened my ears to his genius as a conductor.  When I first began collecting classical recordings, George Szell quickly became my favorite conductor which may go some way toward explaining why I tended to avoid Klemperer like the proverbial plague.  What little I heard of his work sounded dull, leaden, and painfully slow.  Then, at some point in my collecting, I happened to hear Klemperer's EMI recording of the Symphonie and it was like I was hearing it for the first time (the one recording I had of the piece was Karajan/BPO) because, frankly, I was.  Klemperer's more measured tempi allowed me to hear instrumental lines in the music I'd literally never heard before in more frantic performances.  He did, indeed, as you quote him above, allow the music to breathe.  I began listening to more Klemperer and, again and again, had the same experience: music I'd been listening to for years I seemed to really hear for the first time.

Klemperer became my favorite conductor and I became something of a Klemperer completist, purchasing just about every Klemperer recording/performance available.  This is not to suggest I like Klemperer no matter what.  I've never liked his EMI recordings of the last three Tchaikovsky symphonies, for instance, nor am I a big fan of his Bach B-minor Mass or the EMI Brahms' First (which may be odd since it is hailed as a benchmark performance by so many).  But I listen to more performances by Klemperer than any other conductor.

I might also say that I'm no longer the completist I once was.  By the time Klemperer began really committing his interpretations to vinyl thanks to Vox and, especially EMI, his once wide-ranging repertoire had narrowed pretty much to the Austro-Germanic classical tradition of Beethoven/Brahms/Bruckner/Mendelssohn/Schumann/Mozart/Haydn and some Mahler and, to my ears at least, the interpretations themselves were pretty set, without hugely significant differences from performance to performance save for the vagaries of an orchestra having an off night in a live performance or the fact his tempos did typically get slower still toward the end.  After awhile, I'd amassed 300+ Klemperer recordings, including, for example, six different Beethoven Fifth Symphonies, and how many different Klemperer Beethoven Fifths does a person need?  I'm glad the EMI recordings are being reboxed and reissued for the benefit of those who've yet to discover the glories of Klemperer but I have them all in earlier incarnations.  In fact, I haven't bought a Klemperer recording in quite awhile.

[knight66]

Right, that's it.....enough already. I have been so interested in the Berlioz, that having read Dave's post, I have ordered it.....the third order in two days.....so now I am going to bury my credit card in the garden, deep.

Also today I have been listening to K's Cosi Fan Tutti and enjoying it. I have just posted about it on a Da Ponte thread in the vocal section.

So far unmentioned are his terrific recordings of Fidelio, I give the edge to the live performance and his Missa Solemnis, which is much admired but which is spoilt for me by the soprano whose voice I cn't get along with.

Mike

[Leo K.]

I've been listening (for the first time) to Klemp's Vox recording of Das Lied von der Erde from March, 1951. I was taken aback right from the beginning. It's much faster than his later EMI account but so detailed and rhythmic, and doesn't feel rushed at all. The orchestra is great. There is a horn player that really soars, playing with such confidence and flair, I love it! The work's orchestration sounds modern and prickly with no sentimentality. I'm going to have to track down his Vox recordings!

[Leo K.]

I'm so glad you've mentioned Klemperer's Symphonie Fantastique.  It isn't a Klemperer performance that gets mentioned often yet it's the one that really opened my ears to his genius as a conductor.  When I first began collecting classical recordings, George Szell quickly became my favorite conductor which may go some way toward explaining why I tended to avoid Klemperer like the proverbial plague.  What little I heard of his work sounded dull, leaden, and painfully slow.  Then, at some point in my collecting, I happened to hear Klemperer's EMI recording of the Symphonie and it was like I was hearing it for the first time (the one recording I had of the piece was Karajan/BPO) because, frankly, I was.  Klemperer's more measured tempi allowed me to hear instrumental lines in the music I'd literally never heard before in more frantic performances.  He did, indeed, as you quote him above, allow the music to breathe.  I began listening to more Klemperer and, again and again, had the same experience: music I'd been listening to for years I seemed to really hear for the first time.

Klemperer became my favorite conductor and I became something of a Klemperer completist, purchasing just about every Klemperer recording/performance available.  This is not to suggest I like Klemperer no matter what.  I've never liked his EMI recordings of the last three Tchaikovsky symphonies, for instance, nor am I a big fan of his Bach B-minor Mass or the EMI Brahms' First (which may be odd since it is hailed as a benchmark performance by so many).  But I listen to more performances by Klemperer than any other conductor.

I might also say that I'm no longer the completist I once was.  By the time Klemperer began really committing his interpretations to vinyl thanks to Vox and, especially EMI, his once wide-ranging repertoire had narrowed pretty much to the Austro-Germanic classical tradition of Beethoven/Brahms/Bruckner/Mendelssohn/Schumann/Mozart/Haydn and some Mahler and, to my ears at least, the interpretations themselves were pretty set, without hugely significant differences from performance to performance save for the vagaries of an orchestra having an off night in a live performance or the fact his tempos did typically get slower still toward the end.  After awhile, I'd amassed 300+ Klemperer recordings, including, for example, six different Beethoven Fifth Symphonies, and how many different Klemperer Beethoven Fifths does a person need?  I'm glad the EMI recordings are being reboxed and reissued for the benefit of those who've yet to discover the glories of Klemperer but I have them all in earlier incarnations.  In fact, I haven't bought a Klemperer recording in quite awhile.

Thank you for your thoughts Dave! Your statement "Klemperer's more measured tempi allowed me to hear instrumental lines in the music I'd literally never heard before in more frantic performances" is what strikes me again and again in Klemperer and makes me excited to hear more of his records. Aces!

[Moonfish]

I've been listening (for the first time) to Klemp's Vox recording of Das Lied von der Erde from March, 1951. I was taken aback right from the beginning. It's much faster than his later EMI account but so detailed and rhythmic, and doesn't feel rushed at all. The orchestra is great. There is a horn player that really soars, playing with such confidence and flair, I love it! The work's orchestration sounds modern and prickly with no sentimentality. I'm going to have to track down his Vox recordings!

Leo & revdrdave,
As I realized that I had not yet heard any of Klemperer's Vox recordings ( ) (and being inspired by your posts) I decided to dig deeper into that aspect of his legacy. I picked up the following three Vox releases which hopefully will satisfy some of that curiosity....

[asin] B001EOIGYI[/asin]
[asin] B000001KCG[/asin]
[asin] B000001KCH[/asin]

[Moonfish]

What are your thoughts on Klemperer's RIAs recordings on the Audite label?

[asin] B005OV1MXY[/asin]

[Marc]

I love his Zauberflöte and Così: slow, yes, but, as has been said by other members, transparent and breathing, and certainly not drowning in dragging legato.
I'm also very fond of his recordings of Schubert 8 & 9, Franck's Symphony in D-minor, and of Mahler 2 (with Schwarzkopf and Rössl-Majdan), Das Lied von der Erde (Ludwig/Wunderlich) and Mahler 9.

[Moonfish]

Klemperer's life and times
Just for the record: these two volumes written by Peter Heyworth appear to be THE Klemperer biography. They are OOP and the second volume is currently quite expensive. However, the first volume on his early life is very affordable and is likely to be of interest to readers of this thread. There is a more recent edition of volume 1 (slightly higher price).

Otto Klemperer: His Life and Times, Vol. 1: 1885-1933



Otto Klemperer: Volume 2, 1933-1973: His Life and Times

[asin] 0521244889[/asin]



The newer edition of Volume 1:

[asin] 0521495091[/asin]

[André]

To hear his take on Stravinsky (Symphony in three movements, Petrouchka and Pulcinella suite) is to experience that composer's music like you never have before. A jaw dropping experience. Some loathe it, I love it. Stravinsky was a staple of Klemperer's repertoire in the 20's and 30's.