Customer Reviews

Beethoven: The Nine Symphonies [Box Set]

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I remember this set getting some very positive press back when it first came out, but already having a number of cycles, I gave it a miss at the time. Now that it has been issued in budget format, I finally took the plunge, and . . . WOW. I'm amazed at the strength, color, and sheer conviction of these performances. There's no doubt in my mind: this is one of the all-time great cycles of Beethoven's nine symphonies. It certainly doesn't hurt that these performances are caught in vivid, clear, and dynamic sound (I think they were originally released on the now-abandoned DVD Audio format; the CD transfers are excellent).

Let me dispel a certain refrain one hears about this cycle, which is that Barenboim approaches these iconic works in a manner reminiscent of the great conductor Wilhelm Fürtwängler. It is certainly true that Barenboim has not adapted himself (like Abbado or Rattle) to the "historically informed" performance style made popular by Norrington, Brueggen, Harnoncourt, and Gardiner. This is unrepentant and unreconstructed mid-twentieth-century "German"-style Beethoven, but the presiding spirit is not so much Fürtwängler as it is Otto Klemperer. Klemperer did not push and pull the tempo as Fürtwängler did, and Barenboim, like Klemperer, tends to set a basic pulse and stick with it. There are no dizzying, sudden accelerations and decelerations, although Barenboim allows for very natural variations of tempo as the musical rhetoric demands. Fortunately, Barenboim typically sets his basic tempi a notch or two faster than Klemperer, whose approach could sometimes (even often) become bogged down and heavy. Think of this cycle as Klemperer 2.0: massive, clear, faster than version 1.0 but still fairly moderate in tempo, and phrased with great sensitivity and energy.

Normally, when I buy a set of Beethoven symphonies, I listen through the cycle once or twice and move on. But I've noticed that I keep coming back to these performances--I find them so refreshing and vital, it's like discovering these titanic compositions all over again. I normally don't listen to Symphonies 1 or 2 very often (I find them too scalar and lacking in melodic invention), but even here Barenboim has taught me to listen with new ears. I could give many examples of the Staatskapelle Berlin's superlative playing, but just listen to the development section of the first movement of Sym. 8, which is astonishing in its impact (Barenboim, unlike many conductors, is sure to distinguish "ff" from "fff" in this part of Sym. 8/i, and the result makes you realize why Beethoven wrote it that way to begin with).

I could go on, but you get it by now. At budget price, this set comes into direct competition with the Blomstedt cycle on Brilliant, and as good as those recordings are, I think I would reach for Barenboim's if I had to choose. In fact, this set is so good, it might be my first choice for a Beethoven symphony set at ANY price. Highest recommendation.

I started investigating and listening to classical music in late 2000 and into 2001. This Barenboim Beethoven cycle was recorded in 1999 and first released in 2000, so I must have just missed hearing about it and the acclaim it received. Fortunately I have now discovered it, and this 2004 reissue, which was lost in Amazon's cloud due to faulty labelling. This is a true Brilliant-style box, no jewel cases, six discs in cardboard sleeves and an excellent 108-page booklet.

With the emergence of the HIP (historically informed performance) movement, some Beethoven listeners have come to prefer the sleeker, faster style that was apparently the way the works were originally performed, which can be heard in the cycles led by Gardiner, Harnoncourt (see my review), Mackerras, Norrington and Zinman. Some conductors, like Claudio Abbado, have embraced the movement and recorded new cycles in the stripped-down style. My recommendation for this new school of interpretation is Vanska's cycle with Minnesota (see my review). But Daniel Barenboim is not part of that movement. His inspiration as a conductor is the great Wilhelm Furtwangler, and he consciously extends the German tradition that was developed across the 20th century, well-known to most classical music listeners. This is a fantastic Beethoven cycle on every level, with that understanding. The Staatskapelle Berlin has a deep, rich, burnished sound, and Barenboim's readings are masterful. Everyone who has heard these great works is likely to find places where they question a particular passage where the conductor takes a tempo or attack differently than in their favorite recording. But there is no question of Barenboim's vision and control, with some of Furtwangler's elan if not the seat-of-the-pants daring and stretching of tempos.

Having been listening to Beethoven and classical music for several years now, I have arrived at a point where I am increasingly likely to seek out a recording based on the orchestra. The Staatskapelle Berlin is not as well-known as the Berlin Philharmoniker, but it is one of Berlin's and Germany's finest symphony orchestras, with a long tradition. According to the liner notes, all of Beethoven's symphonies were heard in Berlin during the composer's lifetime, and the Berlin premieres were all by the Royal Prussian Court Orchestra, which is now the Staatskapelle Berlin. After World War II the SB was a leading East German (DDR) orchestra, and was led by Otmar Suitner through most of the DDR period. Today the SB shares the magnificent Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin, on the Unter den Linden on Museum Island, a World Heritage site. (It is currently closed for reconstruction, and performances have been moved to the Schiller Theater until 2013.) Daniel Barenboim (b. 1942) was voted Music Director for life by the musicians in 2000, and is still at the helm today. I have come to realize that beyond the Berlin Philharmoniker there are many fine German orchestras, including the Staatskapelle Dresden and the Staatskapelle Berlin which maintained the highest standards of music through the DDR years into the post-reunification period.

This Beethoven cycle is widely regarded as one of the finest recent state-of-the-art recordings. I can't recommend it more highly.

(verified purchase from Amazon.co.uk)

Audiophiles invest tens of thousands of dollars on high-end component audio systems so they can hear the subtlest details in the music.
This performance of Beethoven symphonies by Barenboim and the BSO accomplishes this feat on any sound system.
It's an unbelievably High-Definition performance, and not only because of the superb Teldec sound engineering. Barenboim's unequalled reading makes you notice every note in every part of every instrument. I've heard many excellent performances of Beethoven's symphonies, but never like this. It's as if the listener is reading the score of every part himself. It's that transparent.
I know the music by heart, having heard it so many times. But listening to Barenboim and the BSO, it's like getting to know the music for the first time, like never before.
Karajan's 1960 Beethoven cycle ticks like a Mercedes-Benz: all parts move together very tightly and precisely. Carlos Kleiber's 5th and 7th are the most energetic and vivacious. Furtwangler's beethoven is the most majestic and noble. But Barenboim is the one I play over and over. He treats every note with the utmost care and precision, every note a precious gem. He doesn't rush it like modern conductors, but rather lets the listener relish every phrase to full satisfaction. It's fast when the movement calls for it, but in the slow movements he slows down while maintaining the tension (much more difficult to maintain tension when playing slow than when playing fast). The tempo feels so right. And in many passages he sort of pauses for a split second, to emphasize and rivet your attention so that you don't miss a single note or nuance. It adds an air of nobility, like in Furtwangler's readings. It also adds an air of great reverence to Beethoven's music.
The Berlin Staatkapelle Orchestra plays impeccably under this masterful conductor. I get the feeling that each player in the orchestra shares Barenboim's reverence to Beethoven's genius, perhaps because they carry a glorious tradition: The Berlin Staatskapelle Orchestra (Originally called The Royal Prussian Court Orchestra) performed the premieres of all of Beethoven's symphonies in Berlin during the composer's lifetime. So both cunductor and orchestra approach the works with the greatest of respect and veneration. You can feel the tradition of Beethoven flowing in their veins. The orchestra's sound is full-bodied and perfectly balanced, like a great wine you want to drink again and again. Bravo!

It is a nice set with all symphonies for a reasonable price. I also like this Barenboim version who tries a little Furtwanglering. But I must admit I don't know many other versions. It is also a recent recording, hence has good recording quality. Only downside is the poor CD print: You will hear every once in a while digital chirping, and that's annoying me. Amazon was very nice to replace my set, but replacement has the same problem. I will stay away from Warner Classics label in the future.

Update 11/10/2011:
This is truly a very serious set at the top of performance & quality. I am very pleased by Barenboim. Only missing is a high definition audio of this recording. Please release 24bit/96kHz !!

Just finished listening to the set... twice. I guess I'm still looking for the 'Holy Grail' of Beethoven symphonies sets. The sound and performances of the orchestra could fit the bill... but the interpretations leave me wanting something more. I really liked the earlier symphonies of this set. After the 5th it seemed like the conductor was just trying to be different for different's sake. Some of the tempos were so slow that things felt like they're dragging along.