Customer Reviews

Beethoven: The 9 Symphonies

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Critics have accused Leonard Bernstein of being too idiosyncratic in his interpretations, and some have claimed that his later recordings with Deutsche Grammophon were too flamboyant. I tend to disagree, since I have enjoyed listening to his Beethoven and Brahms symphony cycles with the Vienna Philharmonic and virtually all of his Mahler symphony recordings. Bernstein was as comfortable conducting Beethoven as he was with Mozart, Haydn, Mahler, Sibelius, or Copeland, to name but a few. And there were only a handful of orchestras with whom he had a great relationship, of which his partnership with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra surely ranks at the top, perhaps even more so than his critically acclaimed relationship with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (I might add that he is still remembered by musicians in the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, who regard him as one of the most inspirational conductors with whom they've collaborated with.).

Bernstein's Beethoven symphony recordings were among Deutsche Grammophon's finest recording achievements in the late 1970's. This bargain CD set is thus a tribute not only to Bernstein and the Vienna Philharmonic, but also to the technical excellence demonstrated by Deutsche Grammophon's producers and recording engineers. My own personal favorites in this cycle are Bernstein's riveting accounts of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 6th and 7th symphonies (His interpretation of the 5th Symphony is a bit too slow for my taste, and doesn't quite seem nearly as riveting as Carlos Kleiber's electifying account with the Vienna Philharmonic recorded by Deutsche Grammophon a few years earlier.). Althought this is an excellent Beethoven symphony cycle, it will not replace my more recent recordings from Harnoncourt, Zinman and Abbado as my primary recommendations for a Beethoven symphony cycle, but nonetheless, it is an excellent cycle for those interested in hearing the recordings of one of the 20th Century's greatest conductors.

This Beethoven set was the first one I purchased many years ago; I "learned" many of the Beethoven symphonies through Lenny and the Vienna Phil. I couldn't have asked for better teachers. Actually, Bernstein is more like a tour guide through the mountains. What he shows you eludes so many other conductors who supposedly rule this terrain.
Bernstein is often overlooked or diminished as a conductor of the standard classical reportoire, but he was often just as brilliant with Mozart or Beethoven as he could be with Mahler or the Americans. Unlike the Sibelius or Elgar recordings from this new Bernstein Edition, his Beethoven set is a great place for anyone to begin with these works, and I still place it toe to toe with any of the other contenders. As for those who already own other DG sets by Karajan, Abbado, or Bohm, or have legendary sets by Szell, Walter, or Furtwangler, give this one a try, especially at the bargain price, and see where Bernstein and the Vienna Philharmonic take you. A word of caution. No journey through Beethoven is perfect, as every set has its mis-steps (some result in total disaster). Bernstein's only flaw here is the Fifth, where he favors a slow and old-fashioned performance. But this is easily remedied: simply buy the Kleiber recording with the same orchestra, also from DG, and you will have years of great performances to relish.
Beethoven's name stands front and center on a golden jewel above the stage in Lenny's old stomping grounds -- Symphony Hall in Boston. Originally, the designers were going to surround Beethoven with the names of other composers, but that never happened; they never reached a concensus on what other names were worthy to be enshrined in this symphonic crown. So, Beethoven remains the sole jewel in the crown. Perhaps no set of Beethoven symphonies deserves similar recognition, because there are so many other great perfomances out there. But Bernstein's Beethoven from Vienna comes pretty damn close.

I couldn't live without recordings of classical music, but please, somebody shoot me if I ever get as snobbish as some of the reviewers nitpicking this box set. The sound quality is excellent. (These symphonies were all recorded live in concert, so the performances truly breathe.) The interpretations are, to my ear, deeply considered and extremely moving, especially the second movement of the Seventh. And best of all, you can't beat the price (and this is Deutsche Grammaphone we're talking about, usually the most expensive pressings). So if you know some person, young or old, who wants to know where to start with building a classical collection, get them this set as a gift. How can you not like this music?

The tameness of this Beethoven cycle from Bernstein and the Vienna Phil. was deliberate, I suspect. The conductor had already made a massive-sounding cycle in New York with the Philharmonic, and he apparently wanted to hear these works slimmed down, fleet, and classically inclined in Vienna. Even understanding the rationale, there are moments when the readings come close to being either tepid or ordinary. The VPO sounds lovely, and DG has improved on the original thin sonics from the LP era. But I can't square these cautious performances with the free-wheeling and inspired Bernstein I love. If you play any single movement side by side with, say, Riccardo Muti's middle-of-the-raod cycle from Philadelphia on a bargain EMI line, it's hard to tell where Muti ends and Bernstein begins. (Joining Muti and Bernstein, another firebrand conductor, Solti, also tended toward tameness when it came to Beethoven.)

I see that the reviewers here are sharply divided between champsions and naysayers. I'm not completey disappointed. The smaller, more graceful symphonies (#1, #2, #4, #8) are the best in the cycle, largely thanks to the orchestra's elegant execution. Of the heroic symphonies, the Fifth is dull, the Eroica and Seventh are better but by no means inspired, and the Ninth comes the closest to making one sit up and take notice. LB made a specialty of this work, but his three official versions don't really capture the magic. This one comes closest, and I much prefer it to the emotional wallow that LB indulged in with his famous "Ode to Freedom" performance at the Berlin Wall after it fell in 1989.

As for the reviewers here who heap superlatives on this set, I can't come close to agreeing, and I am a Bernstein fan par excellence.

I have been listening to Beethoven's music for many years, and have recordings of Beethoven by von Karajan, Abbado, Rattle, Kleiber, Bernstein and Levine to name a few. I also had the opportunity to see Claudio Abbado and the Berlin Philharmonic perform the Eroica symphony live several years ago in Orange County, California. Needless to say that was the definitive performance for me. I only recently bought this boxed set of Bernstein's symphony cycle from Vienna in the late 70's. I was pleasantly surprised to realize how much I grew to love this set very quickly. It also has a good deal of historical significance as well, considering Bernstein was a Jewish American conducting music by the greatest German composer who ever lived in Vienna, only 30 years after World War II. It is astonishing to hear how the orchestra is so obviously and completely under Bernstein's command throughout these symphonies. It is a wonderful collaboration.

Berstein's approach overall is very broad, with a lot more histrionic tempo changes and dynamic extremes than is customary for Beethoven performances, but it is utterly captivating as far as I'm concerned. Only the performance of the 5th taxes the patience, with its lugubrious pacing in the first movement.

I think the 3rd, 7th and 9th are particularly good performances. Under Bernstein, the 9th becomes a leisurely yet powerful journey through this most amazing of symphonies. The soloists in the finale make an absolutely heavenly quartet, even if Kollo is a bit taxed at times. Gwyneth Jones and Kurt Moll both shine, with her creamy high notes and his sepulchral heft the finale becomes more operatic than ever before, and the final quartet before the eruptive finale is performed slowly and intensely so that the listener can follow every exquisite note from each singer-for me this is one of the most immaculate moments I have ever experienced in all my years of listening to Beethoven recordings. It seems to last for an eternity and sounds as if one is ascending into heaven itself. The concluding eruption is taken very fast and builds to a very emotional and grandiose conclusion.

All in all, especially for the price, this set is well worth having. It is a different approach to Beethoven that yields many rewards both in terms of emotional accessibility and in the details one notices in the music due to the broader tempi. The recording quality is generally excellent. It cannot match the smooth, warm glow of the newer digital recordings, but there is plenty of detail, presence and warmth to satisfy most listeners, and the acoustics of the Musikverein provides sufficient weight to the bass and enough air for the music to breath. If you like Beethoven, this is highly recommended to help rediscover his music from a new perspective. For Bernstein fans, it's a no-brainer.

These Beethoven performances are loaded with personal touches. Bernstein's own feelings and thoughts are shamelessly printed on many passages - and it's very moving. For example, try the Mahler-like lyricism of the slow movement of second symphony or the bass-heavy treatment of the 9th symphony's 1st movement. Some fast passages are breathlessly intense. Some lyrical passages are painfully heartfelt. You may not always agree with his choice of tempo but it's not really up to you, is it? There are countless moments where things get very emotional, sometimes at the expense of sonic balance. The singers in the 9th sometimes get too excited they almost sing out of tune. But they sure sound possessed.
The recording is clean and natural. I know there are some who will complain about the dry, uneven sound but I think Bernstein himself is the one responsible for that - lack of care on sonic beautification. Again, that's not what Bernstein was shooting for.
This is not a spotless, perfection-oriented Beethoven. It has flaws. But who cares when this is the only Beethoven set performed this way?

The metadata on two of the discs is incorrect. Disc 1 contains Symphonies 1 and 3, but the metadata embedded on the disc (that Media Player reads) says Symphonies 1 and 7. Disc 3 contains Symphonies 5 and 6 but reads as 5 and 8. While not a big deal if you're just listening on a CD player, it makes it hard to rip for an MP3 player because Media Player overwrites the incorrectly listed pieces.

All I got was some very average Beethoven performances from Leonard Bernstein, a conductor usually renowned for his extrovert, fascinating approach to various music but who so misses the mark with this dull cycle of the greatest symphonies of all time. One of the main problems is possibly the fact that Bernstein chose to record this cycle, ( his 2nd cycle of Beethoven symphonies ), with the Vienna Philharmonic. His earlier one was with the New York Philharmonic and that was a lot more youthful and vigorous. These Vienna versions are much more mellow and relaxed, I love the Vienna Philharmonic but they've played this music to death and I don't think they can really be inspired, full-throttle like a younger, less tradition ingrained orchestra. And to add insult to injury, Karajan's Berlin Philharmonic was always much superior in these years in terms of virtuosity, finesse, power and everything you need to feel the impact of Beethoven.

Still, the Vienna Philharmonic is one of the finest orchestras in the world and it leaves it up to the conductor to truly inspire them. This is where Bernstein fails, every single one of these symphonies is safe, lackluster and middle of the road. Let's take a quick, one by one analysis of the works.

Symphony 1 is done with charm and grace, Bernstein obviously enjoying the mood but I miss the sprint and attack that Karajan brings to this music. Symphony 2 is where Bernstein truly shines, he puts in plenty of power and concentration throughout and the slow movement, the larghetto, is gorgeous. All in all, a success. Symphony 3, the Eroica is where the trouble starts. It's boring, it's deflated, it's dull compared to Bernstein's earlier New York version and Bernstein typically falls flat on his face when compared to Karajan or Furtwangler in the Eroica. The funeral march by Bernstein can put you to sleep, where is the emotional gravity that Karajan brings to it in his devastating digital record? Symphony 4 is good but not great, a general run through with a few interesting touches. Symphony 5 is a dismal failure, the famous first movement is the worst I've ever heard. It's obscenely slow, 8 minutes, 38 seconds! Compare that to most versions which average like 7 minutes, 20 seconds. The rest of the symphony is nothing special but at least better than the atrocious first movement. The Pastoral symphony is well played but isn't in the league with Karl Bohm or Bruno Walter. Symphony 7 is one of the best performances of the Bernstein cycle, with lots of energy and drive. Symphony 8 is humorous and lively, not massive like Karajan, but that's ok.

Finally, Symphony number 9 is where you should hear true fireworks from Bernstein, instead you get your typical run through as if this was some background music. The choral finale especially is a total let down compared to Solti's magnificient 1972 version or Karajan's 1977 recording. I hope Bernstein's later performance for the coming down of the Berlin Wall is not as routine as what I hear here. I have yet to hear that famous record. ( I have subsequently listened to the Berlin Ode to Freedom 9th led by Bernstein and I must warn you, it is absolutely awful! See my review. If you want Bernstein conducting Beethoven's 9th, this Vienna Philharmonic version included in this boxed set I'm reviewing is about as good as it gets as far as Bernstein is concerned. His earlier New York version is about the same except this Vienna performance has better sound. Regardless, Bernstein never recorded a great 9th, he could never perform the finale adequately. He made it episodic and disjointed, not symphonic as with Furtwangler, Karajan or Solti, stick to those conductors. )

All Beethoven symphonic cycles are eventually disappointing because no one conductor can approach perfection in every one of these works. Bernstein succeeds in symphonies 2 and 7 in this set, but that's really it, the rest are average or worse. Karajan's early 1960's cycle is the one to go for if you desperately need a complete set by one conductor. It's not perfect but the most satisfactory available.

For individual symphonies, try Karajan in symphony 1, Karajan, Szell or Bernstein in symphony 2. For the Eroica, Karajan's digital version if you want drama and power or Klemperer from 1961 if you like it slow or Toscanini from the good old days. Szell and Furtwangler are also great. Symphony 4 goes to either Szell or Karajan, Symphony 5 to Giulini, Furtwangler, Karajan and Kleiber. The Pastoral goes to Karl Bohm or Bruno Walter. The 7th goes to God knows who, I haven't found a perfect Seventh, yet! Try Thielemann, Furtwangler or Bernstein or Karajan's first DG cycle. Go with Karajan's digital version for the 8th symphony. Last but not least, Solti, 1972 for the the Choral Symphony or Gunter Wand on RCA, as well as Karajan, 62, 77 and Furtwangler, 51, 42, all great.

Man, that sounds like a lot, but that's Beethoven for you. You can't ever find the perfect interpretation, because they simply don't exist!

Having been fed on a musical diet of Toscanini and Kempler, I sometimes find Bernstein a bit laid back. Taking nothing away from his great conducting style, sometimes, particularly when conducting Beethoven, I wish he would condense his pauses and speed up the more dramatic phrases.

Well, this collection, perhaps the most ambitious work Bernstein has completed, certainly with the Vienna Philharmonic, will find no such complaint from me. I thoroughly love each and every one of the entire Beethoven Symphony collection. Outstanding vitality in fiercer passages, and the melancholy ones are dealt with gently. You will also note that the sound is "pure", i.e. each passage almost stands out on its own, and embellishes the melody. Beethoven's peculiar juxtapositions--his style of introducing a phrase and clinching it with surprising speed---are handled superbly by Berstein.

A great collection for all times.

Beethoven. Hard to go wrong no matter what the format. I have a number of collections of Beethoven's symphonies and find this one with the power to send chills up and down my spine. Even without understanding the words, the fourth movement of ninth can make my eyes mist. The exhilaration of the fifth symphony as we transition from the darkness of the first movement to the uplifting light of the fourth is well represented in this collection.