Beethoven: The Nine Symphonies [Box Set] [Box set]

Ludwig van Beethoven (Composer), Josef Krips (Conductor), London Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), Jennifer Vyvyan (Performer), Rudolf Petrak (Performer), Donaldson Bell (Performer), Shirley Carter (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Jennifer Vyvyan, Rudolf Petrak, Donaldson Bell, Shirley Carter
• Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra
• Conductor: Josef Krips
• Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
• Audio CD (July 20, 1994)
• Number of Discs: 5
• Format: Box set
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Bescol
• ASIN: B000001RR1
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #279,772 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21: Adagio molto - Allegro con brio - Ludwig Van Beethoven

2. Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21: Andante cantabile con moto - Ludwig Van Beethoven

3. Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21: Menuetto, Allegro molto e vivace - Ludwig Van Beethoven

4. Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21: Finale, Adagio - Allegro molto e vivace - Ludwig Van Beethoven

See all 8 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Symphony No. 3 in E flat major ('Eroica'), Op. 55: Allegro con brio - L.V. Beethoven

2. Symphony No. 3 in E flat major ('Eroica'), Op. 55: Marcia funebre, Adagio assai - L.V. Beethoven

3. Symphony No. 3 in E flat major ('Eroica'), Op. 55: Scherzo, Allegro vivace - L.V. Beethoven

4. Symphony No. 3 in E flat major ('Eroica'), Op. 55: Finale, Allegro molto - L.V. Beethoven

See all 8 tracks on this disc

Disc: 3

1. Symphony No. 5 in C minor ('Fate'), Op. 67: Allegro con brio

2. Symphony No. 5 in C minor ('Fate'), Op. 67: Andante con moto

3. Symphony No. 5 in C minor ('Fate'), Op. 67: Allegro

4. Symphony No. 5 in C minor ('Fate'), Op. 67: Allegro

See all 6 tracks on this disc

Disc: 4

1. Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92: Poco sostenuto - Vivace

2. Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92: Allegretto

3. Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92: Presto

4. Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92: Allegro con brio

See all 8 tracks on this disc

Disc: 5

1. Symphony No. 9 in D minor ('Choral'), Op. 125: Allegro ma non troppo

2. Symphony No. 9 in D minor ('Choral'), Op. 125: Molto vivace

3. Symphony No. 9 in D minor ('Choral'), Op. 125: Adagio molto e cantabile

4. Symphony No. 9 in D minor ('Choral'), Op. 125: Presto - Allegro assai / Recitative - Allegro assai

Editorial Reviews

5 cd box set Bescal CD 524 disc 1 CD 518 disc 2 CD 511 disc 3 CD 530 disc 4 CD 504 disc 5

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Impressively Individual Beethoven, January 11, 2003

By 

R. C. Ross (Birmingham) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beethoven: The Nine Symphonies [Box Set] (Audio CD)

Josef Krips (1902-1974), Vienna born, was among the most eminent conductors of his time, especially praised as interpreter of Mozart and Schubert. Krips' manner in Mozart, so gracious and elegant, didn't prepare me for the way he conducts the Beethoven symphonies! A student of the conductor Felix Weingartner Krips presents these great works with blazing intensity and Herculean energy and dynamism. Tempi are consistently fast, even in the tremendous Funeral March of the Eroica (Symphony 3). Where Karajan (1960's) needs more than 17 mins. for this movement Krips takes under 13! But despite the fast speeds (which only reflect what Beethoven asks for) Krips is not insensitive (remember his Mozart).

These Beethoven deserve to be better known They remind us that the 'new' swift way with Beethoven is in fact not new at all. But there are other virtues to Krips' Beethoven. His pointing of detail, sense of a movement's structure, its climaxes and shape, give these performances substance and depth.

The LSO, of course, play well but the recording (from the late 1950's) is only serviceable, there is some harshness in the treble and the bass is boomy - the finale of the 9th is a dreadful recording failure (and the very first part of the first note is missing from Symphony 1). But the performances are recommendable as distinctive and thoroughly 'sound'.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Classic Performances - Bad Sound, January 4, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Beethoven: The Nine Symphonies [Box Set] (Audio CD)

Josef Krips was a great conductor, and these exciting performances confirm that. The sound (genuine stereo)is full (really TOO full) except for the high strings, which are thin and harsh (especially in Symphony #3). I think these were recorded in the late 1950's. I thought at first that Nimbus, which mastered the cd's, had boosted the highs, but I drug out my old Everest LP record of NOS 2 & 4 and found the same sound on the high strings.

The sound is improved if you fiddle with the tone controls, but it is not as good as a more modern recording. Still, this set is a good bargain for the performances alone.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beethoven 9 from the London Festival circa 1960, April 14, 2007

By 

King Lemuel "Trust, but verify" (Puyallup, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beethoven: The Nine Symphonies [Box Set] (Audio CD)

I have quite a few lps conducted by Krips and have these symphonies in a great boxed set with a very nice booklet on the Everest label. Krips and the LSO from 1960 were very able.

Some reviews posted comment about the sound quality on these cds. I would argue strongly against anyone knocking analog from circa 1960 when it was done right! I have a cd on the Yedang Classics label of Gennady Rozhdestvensky conducting the USSR RTV Symphony Orchestra- Sibelius Sym 7, Prokoviev Andante for String Orchestra, & Glazunov Scene's de Ballet that is a early 60s analog ported over to CD. This CD SOUNDS tremendous and for it to do so it needed a tremendous analog recording source to start with. This Beethoven 9 by Krips is only a couple of years earlier than Karajan's famous Beethoven 9 recorded in 62 that sound great.

I picked up Krips LSO cd set Christmas 2006 in a tin box at Fred Meyer's for $9.99. The big problem with these CDs is the db levels. They are way too low! I put these files into my wav editor program and compared them to Karajan and Bohm. Karajan is about 1 db too low, Bohm 2 dbs too low and Krips is 3 dbs too low. I have a batch process equilizer program and bumped the master db by 3 (25% increase).

Try listening to the 2nd movement funeral march while driving. The first 3rd and final 3rd have very low levels while the middle has higher levels. I got that woeful classical sound drop off niggly with these cds before I bumped the db levels. These disks have the worst db levels I have seen on a professional classical recording.

PS additional comments:

I just bumped the master db plus three with my computer software and this really helped! In the process I listened all the way thru a couple of times. While there may be no standouts (all time best recordings of individual symphonies) overall this is a great set, especially for $10. I enjoyed listening to every symphony! I especailly enjoyed the 5th and the 9th. The tempos are a little slower than Karajan and faster than Bohm's. The sound is often more majestic like Bohm rather than the dynamic Rene Leibowitz and the Royal Philharmomic (1961) or the recent Abbado BPO live DVDs. I especially enjoyed the wind and brass not being run out of town by the strings. Of all the Beethoven 9s I have heard, Rene Leibowitz has the most dynamic brass. The brass on these cds is almost as dynamic as Leibowitz. The French horns sound very sweet! You will hear the brass section!