Beethoven's Complete Symphonies
Beethoven's Complete Symphonies
Gramophone Choice
Sinéad Mulhern (sop) Carolin Masur (mez) Dominik Wortig (ten) Konstantin Wolff (bass) Chamber Choir Les Eléments; La Chambre Philharmonique / Emmanuel Krivine
Naïve V5258 (5h 30’ · DDD) Recorded live 2009-10. Buy from Amazon
In providing us with this vital, keenly played and always engaging new period-instrument Beethoven cycle, Emmanuel Krivine is effectively challenging what has in recent years become an all-too-familiar template of sleek, bloodless lines and fast-lane tempi. More important overall is Krivine’s preference for flexible phrasing, even as early as 2'21" into the first movement of the First Symphony, where the subtle but significant easing of tempo as the line bends is reminiscent of Toscanini with the BBC Symphony Orchestra back in 1937. Time and again, spatially divided violin desks makes musical sense, especially as the recording captures their antiphonal banter so brilliantly.
Krivine knows how to slam a Beethovenian sforzando without breaking glass and his canny sense of musical timing brings a real buzz to (for example) the first movement of the Second Symphony. He knows how to let the music breathe, too – where to put on the pressure and where to ease off again: the Eroica’s first movement is lithe and stealthy, with delicate detail but plenty of well-targeted power at key moments, the coda’s high-rise climax being a fair case in point. The Marcia funebre has an air of ascetic solemnity about it and Krivine’s mastery of transitions benefits the palpitating leap from Adagio to Allegro vivace in the first movement of the Fourth.
Woodwind lines sing out in the Fifth’s finale, the Scherzo having enjoyed a vigorous fugato on the lower strings, the first movement high energy levels but with air around the phrases. The Pastoral burbles and dances, and the Seventh – with an added, if not always audible contrabassoon – is a joy to encounter, the Scherzo and finale bounding along with heady abandon. Krivine’s Eighth is both lively and admirably transparent, and although the Choral is a worthy summation – the finale is particularly good – interpretatively speaking, the cycle’s musical climax is the sequence of middle symphonies from No 3 to No 7. The Ninth’s first movement hasn’t quite the clarity or impact of, say, the Eroica or Seventh. But it works none the less and throughout the cycle the Chambre Philharmonique (Krivine’s own) prove alert, responsive and consistently spontaneous. Each performance is tailed by applause and the recordings have considerable presence, the woodwinds coming off especially well. All key repeats are observed.
Additional Recommendations
Charlotte Margiono (sop) Birgit Remmert (mez) Rudolf Schasching (ten) Robert Holl (bass) Arnold Schoenberg Choir; Chamber Orchestra of Europe / Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Teldec 0927 49768-2 (5h 58' · DDD) Recorded live 1990-91. Buy from Amazon
Brimful of intrepid character and interpretative incident, this is surely one of the most stimulating Beethoven symphony cycles of recent times. As Harnoncourt himself states in the booklet: ‘It has always been my conviction that music is not there to soothe people’s nerves…but rather to open their eyes, to give them a good shaking, even to frighten them.’ So it transpires that there’s a recreative daring about Harnoncourt’s conducting – in essence an embracement of recent scholarly developments and his own pungent sense of characterisation – which is consistently illuminating, thus leaving the listener with the uncanny sensation that he or she is encountering this great music for the first time. In all this Harnoncourt is backed to the hilt by some superbly responsive, miraculously assured playing from the COE: their personable, unforced assimilation of his specific demands, allied to his intimate knowledge of the inner workings of these scores, make for wonderfully fresh, punchy results. In this respect Nos 6-8 in particular prove immensely rewarding, but the Eroica and the Fourth, too, are little short of superb. This is a cycle which excitingly reaffirms the life-enhancing mastery of Beethoven’s vision for many years to come.
Karita Mattila (sop) Violeta Urmana (mez) Thomas Moser (ten) Thomas Quasthoff (bass-bar) Eric Ericson Chamber Choir; Swedish Radio Choir; Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra / Claudio Abbado
DG 477 5864GM5 (5h 46' · DDD) Nos 1-8 from TDK and EuroArts DVD originals, recorded live 2001. Buy from Amazon
The finest of fine lines can divide routine and revelation. Seven years on from the relase of a studio set of the nine, Abbado reveals doubts of his own. The Ninth excepted, the original DG set has been consigned to history, its place taken on CD by live performances given by Abbado and the Berliners in Renzo Piano’s acclaimed new Santa Cecilia hall in Rome in February 2001. Originally recorded for DVD, this Rome cycle now emerges as Abbado’s ‘legacy’ choice.
Hindsight tells us that the original set was premature, recorded before the project had established a purpose beyond that of providing the obligatory Beethoven cycle Abbado owed the orchestra; recorded, too, before players or engineers were conversant with the soundscapes needed to create Abbado’s vision of a vital yet at the same time properly autochthonous Beethoven manner.
Where the Berlin set lacked emotional intensity and sonic immediacy, the Rome cycle provides both. As early as the slow movement of the First Symphony, it is evident that the warmer, more intimate Rome sound is helping concentrate our minds; the performance too is more strongly characterised, the finale markedly so.
The First, Third, Fifth and Seventh symphonies are the principal beneficiaries here. An examination of the relative timings tells us little beyond the fact that the Rome performances may occasionally be a touch broader. In practice, this has little to do with tempo, everything to do with shape and commitment – with concentration of tone and intensity of phrasing.
Abbado’s claim that the Rome performances ‘marked a significant advance in terms of style, spirit, and technique’ is best illustrated in the Seventh Symphony. In Berlin, the finale seemed driven and over-quick; in Rome, everything is absorbed and of a piece. The more closely focused sound also helps. The individual string sections, the violins in particular, are far more clearly defined, an important factor when Abbado’s retention of non-antiphonal layouts might be thought (wrongly as it turns out) to take the edge off the drama.
With the even-numbered symphonies it is more a case of swings and roundabouts. The Rome Pastoral is less vernal, the Eighth fiercer and more monumental, albeit not entirely settled rhythmically in the outer movements. The Fourth is again outstanding, though fuller-bodied and more overtly songful. The Berlin Ninth remains. It is a pretty good performance with an outstandingly well realised finale. What happened to the Rome Ninth is not explained. Ever since student days in Vienna with Toscanini fanatic Hans Swarowsky, Abbado has been in semi-permanent revolt against the Italian school of Beethoven interpretation. In these vibrant Rome performances he achieves an intensity of effect his hero Furtwängler just might have approved.
Luba Orgonášová (sop) Anne Sofie von Otter (mez) Anthony Rolfe Johnson (ten) Gilles Cachemaille (bar) Monteverdi Choir; Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique / Sir John Eliot Gardiner
Archiv 439 900-2AH5 (5h 28' · DDD) Buy from Amazon
This set is remarkable and many will rate it as Mr Knightley rates Emma Woodhouse ‘faultless in spite of her faults’. In his booklet essay, Peter Czorny tells us that the recordings are offered in the hope of transporting the listener back ‘to that moment when this music burst forth into a world of heroes, wars and revolution, creating its own world of the sublime and ineffable’. This theme is developed by Gardiner in a robust 20-minute talk on the project that comes free on a sixth CD. Gardiner’s opinion that Beethoven wanted his musicians to live dangerously has some peculiar consequences.
Symphony No 1: The opening is superbly judged. Gardiner doesn’t overplay the Adagio molto, and the Allegro con brio, often played with a fatal languor by members of the old German school, is pretty quick. After his absurdly brisk reading of the second movement, Gardiner goes on to conduct dazzlingly successful accounts of the Scherzo and finale. Symphony No 2: This is very fine throughout. By following the written tempo markings and his own musical instincts Gardiner produces a perfomance of the first movement that opens out the drama most compellingly. Symphony No 3: More révolutionnaire than romantique. A very fast first movement gets within spitting distance of an impossible metronome mark. That and keen texturing make for tremendous dramatic urgency. Unfortunately, there’s also too little accommodation en route of the rich cargo of ideas that Beethoven has shipped into this movement. In their haste to get to the recapitulation itself, Gardiner and his players are decidedly unpoised. He’s superb in the last two movements; but these are considerably less than half the story where the Eroica is concerned. Symphony No 4: An unusually quick introduction and brisk Allegro vivace. Gardiner treats the pivotal drum entry before the recapitulation atmospherically. Glorious slow movement, impossibly quick finale.
Symphony No 5: Here is the stuff of which revolutions are made. Gardiner plays the piece pretty straight, and at white heat. The orchestra is superb, helped by the Francophone bias of its sound base. That said, the Scherzo (with repeat) is surely too fast. It starts briskly and not especially quietly. The pace drops back for the Trio, which is just as well since the strings are hard-pressed to articulate clearly. The finale is also very fast, again ahead of what’s generally regarded as a good metronome. There’s a grandeur to the Scherzo-cum-finale that could be seen to reflect a vision that transcends the politics of revolution. Still, for its éclat terrible, this is unbeatable. The slow movement is also superbly shaped and directed.
Symphony No 6: Despite some lovely playing in the slow movement and an air of brisk efficiency, this is a rather joyless Pastoral. Nor is it a spiritually uplifting one. The Scherzo – ‘A merry gathering of country folk’ – is a very high-speed affair. At such a pace the various amusing false entries rather lose their point; to play in this village band you would need to be a virtuoso, and teetotal to boot.
Symphony No 7: A glorious performance. The introduction sets the scene with an ideal blend of weight and anticipation. The Vivace has a splendid dance feel and a power that’s wholly unforced. Scherzo and finale are also superbly paced. The Allegretto is eloquent with a sense of barely sublimated grieving. The recording is magnificent. Symphony No 8: In general, the symphony thrives on the Gardiner approach, though in the finale the emphasis is again on high-speed locomotion.
Symphony No 9: The first movement has never been dispatched as rapidly as here. In fact, Gardiner doesn’t get the bit between the teeth until bar 51, so the celebrated introduction has room to breathe. But he isn’t entirely inflexible, and he and his players show remarkable skill in making busy detail tell. Yet a lot does go by the board. The slow movement is also played very quickly. However, the finale is superb. Tempi are unerringly chosen, the choral singing is beyond criticism, and there’s a rare expressive quality to the singing of the solo quartet. High-quality playing from the orchestra and often exceptional Archiv sound. At best, the physical and intellectual vitality of this music-making brings us close to the Ding an sich. It’s a best that occurs only intermittently. That it occurs at all is perhaps a sufficient miracle.
Ruth Ziesak (sop) Birgit Remmert (contr) Steve Davislim (ten) Detlef Roth (bar) Swiss Chamber Choir; Tonhalle Orchestra, Zürich / David Zinman
Arte Nova Classics 74321 65410-2 (5h 36' · DDD). Buy from Amazon
Viewed overall, the performances of Nos 1, 4, 6 and 8 are the best in this set, though there’s a certain levelling of dynamics in the Eighth. In the Seventh and the Fifth, the finales might have benefited from a wider curve of dynamics and a little more in the way of tonal weight. On the other hand, Zinman’s fleet-footed Eroica grows on you, and the Fourth is among the most vivacious accounts available. As to the Ninth, the Scherzo’s super-fast Trio makes particular sense at the very end of the movement where Trio and outer section engage in a brief comic tussle. The fast first movement is suitably dangerous and while the finale will no doubt court controversy (primarily for some unusual tempo relations), the Adagio sounds matter-of-fact, even a little impatient. Indeed, it’s the one movement in this cycle that seems to misfire.
Zinman has used Bärenreiter’s new edition of Beethoven’s texts, although the extra appoggiaturas and ornaments, invariably sewn along the woodwind lines – were inserted by the conductor, based on sound musicological principles. All repeats are observed, and so are the majority of Beethoven’s metronome markings. What matters most is the overall character of Zinman’s Beethoven which is swift, lean, exhilarating and transparent. The Tonhalle copes bravely, often with exceptional skill, and the recordings easily compare with their best full-price rivals.
On balance, this cycle remains the best bargain digital option. Besides, Arte Nova’s asking price is so ludicrously cheap that it’s worth buying on impulse, if only for the sake of a refreshing change. Just try to have someone else’s Choral in reserve.
BPO / Karajan
DG 463 088-2GB5 (5h 32’ · ADD) Buy from Amazon
Dating from 1961-62, Karajan’s second cycle was the first cycle recorded and released as such. It’s still fresh and imaginative, boasting a real sense of discovery and excitement.
VPO / Rattle
EMI 557445-2 (5h 42’ · DDD) Buy from Amazon
Recorded live, this is a controversial set. Much admired in some quarters, it’s lacking in the joy that’s so central to this music. Rattle’s ‘period’ approach sits uneasily with the lush, romantic style of the VPO. Sample first…
SCO, Philharmonia (No 9) / Mackerras
Hyperion CDS44301/5 (5h 36’ · DDD) Buy from Amazon
Ripeness is all! Mackerras, caught live at the 2006 Edinburgh Festival, offers a magnificent cycle (the only regret is a change of orchestra for the Ninth). This is historically informed Beethoven, but so full of humanity and life.
North German RSO / Wand
RCA Red Seal 74321 20277-2 (5h 56‘ · DDD) Buy from Amazon
Consistently inspired: Wand’s tempi are superbly judged, the orchestral balance ideal, and in the Ninth the soloists make a first-rate team.
Symphonies Nos 1-9. Overtures – Coriolan; Egmont; Die Geschöpfe des Prometheus
Schütz Choir of London; London Classical Players / Sir Roger Norrington
Virgin Classics 561943-2 (5h 53’ · DDD) Buy from Amazon
This was a trailblazing set that collected a Gramophone Award for Symphonies Nos 2 and 8. Norrington made much of Beethoven’s metronome marks but also brought great drama and excitement to these well-known scores.
Symphonies Nos 1-9. Overtures – Coriolan; Egmont; Die Geschöpfe des Prometheus; Die Ruinen von Athen (and March); Die Weihe des Hauses
Anima Eterna / Jos van Immerseel
Zig-Zag Territoires ZZT080402/6 (5h 08 · DDD) Buy from Amazon
A fine period-instrument set without a whiff of the routine to it: thrilling and reassuring by turns with many more hits than misses. The small size of the band (23 players and 33 in the Ninth) makes for some very punchy phrasing. Well worth trying.
