Customer Reviews

Beethoven: Symphony 9 'Choral' (The Previously Unpublished Live Recording From The Royal Festival Hall, 15.11.1957)

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The nineties saw the appearance, especially from the EMI stables, of a group of recordings taken live at actual concerts conducted by Otto Klemperer and authorised for release by his estate, some of them taped perhaps too late in his career but very interesting to compare with studio efforts. Live Klemperer recordings have been indeed uncommon, since the conductor was able to studio-record the vast majority of the repertoire that made him famous, a susprising quantity of it in stereo in view of Klemperer's long life span (he lived close to 90). The late fifties saw the recording and release of the conductor's famous HMV stereo set of the Beethoven 9 symphonies, never out of the catalogue since then. I don't know why this recording of Beethoven's Op. 125, taken at a RFH concert in November 1957 was made or if it was ever meant to be released to the general public when EMI put it on tape, but collectors must for ever thank Testament for making it available. If you're acquainted with the Klemperer style mostly from the EMI studio recordings made from the late '50s onwards, you're in for a big, big susprise. On the outside, this live ninth is not strikingly different from the studio recording, made less than a month later with the same participants and available also from EMI in a single disc or as part of the complete 9 symphonies set. But how different it sounds! There's a tense, thrilling atmosphere throughout that is far less present in the studio, as Klemperer --like most of the conductors of his generation, one that comprised monsters of the art like Bruno Walter, Wilhelm Furtwängler or Erich Kleiber-- could be radically different in a concert hall, before an audience, than in the studio, and this recording does show it all-round. Besides, in 1957 he clearly still had a strength or power of expression that a few years later, save for a few exceptions, age had signifficantly taken away and replaced with idiosyncracies that tended to mar a number of those recordings he made during the last 5 or 6 years of his life (a significant example of this lies in his Bruckner 8th). This ninth is exhuberant with life, joy and dramatic tension, everything fits readily into place and some of the tempi may even susprise listeners more used to Klemperer's famous slowness, here apparent mostly in the scherzo, a slowness that many US record reviewers liked so much to criticise as "pedantic" during the sixties. So, in spite of an over-emphatic timpanist and Hotter's tendency to wobble and miss a few notes in the last movement, this a "Choral Symphony" to place among the very greatest ever put on disc. The sound is very good and clear (stereo, most unusual for a live recording dating from 1957), the conductor's usual orchestral layout a definite plus and Klemperer's legendary exigence of clarity of intonation and articulation very well followed by a Philharmonia Orchestra that at the time was one of the world's greatest orchestras. A must then, and if Testament can dig out similar Klemperer material from record company vaults, may they be blessed for ever!

When I bought this CD to add to my collection of the Ninth I was not expecting it to rise to my Top 5 Favorites as it did. I compare its vitality and its strenght, as much as the execution of the instruments, particularly the drumming with the one by W. Furtwangler, Lucerne Festival 1953. Is that powerful and passionate! . The Tempo is excellent, the sound is great, the performance of the Soloists and the Philharmonia Chorus is awesome. Kemplerer is taking himself to the category of Sublime here in this rendition. Truly a Testament of Glory and Majesty. The CD is expensive but it worth every penny in performance and sound. Go for it!

I love this Beethoven 9th!! It's fantastic. It's a 'live' recording - not patched together, and the timpani comes through thrillingly. This 'live' concert is far better than Klemperer's studio recording. And Klemperer's studio recording was considered a classic!! You must be prepared for some audience noise though. But I'm not really bothered about it given the incandescent performance of this Beethoven's 9th.

With modern digital technology, digital recording, why would you want to return to an old set dating from 1957? Firstly, let me say that the recording is in extremely good sound. Everything is crystal clear with a faint hint that this recording is perhaps not the most up to date digital recording. Most importantly, of course, is that this is an absolutely stunning and magnetic performance. From start to finish, the performance holds your attention and never sags. I held back from buying this version because I already have a number of famous 9ths. I have Klemperer's studio cycle from EMI. Let me say this - you'll be in for a surprise. In a live concert, Klemperer is nothing like what he is in the studio.

Klemperer was known not to like the studio all that much. To Klemperer, a studio performance for recording purposes lack that extra punch. When you listen to this recording you will realize how true it is. In a live concert, Klemperer is absolutely stunning - in peak form in 1957. When you listen to this performance, you will realize the reason Klemperer was considered one of the great Beethoven conductors, and the reason his 1957 Beethoven concerts were red-letter occasions for which tickets were like gold dust.

The 1951 Furtwangler Bayreuth was a seismic performance. But that performance is in mono. And that was a romantic-style performance with a lot of rubato. Here Klemperer's reading is straightforward. No drastic rubato. Tempi is flowing and anything but slow. Just to give you an idea, the recent Rattle cycle reads the 9th at 69.56 using period performance practices. Klemperer clocks in a little under 70 minutes - exactly the same time!! So much for the view that Klemperer was "slow". The old adage is true that there is nothing new under the sun.

The electricity carries from the concert hall 45 years ago to your living room in thid modern digital age in the year of 2003. No "patching up". Not "sewn" together like other recordings. just raw electrifying performance from one of the great Beethoven conductors of the 20th century. Superb choral singing from the Philharmonia Chorus. Unlike many other recordings - Karajan is one of the worst offenders even though the musical side of his Beethoven 9 is perfectly fine - where the chorus is balanced too far back. Here, the chorus is properly balanced forward as a main protagonist. Yes, this is the choral symphony and the chorus should be UPFRONT. The soloists are outstanding, though the tenor is rather on the weak side (Stuart Burrows for Solti 1972 is astonishing) but the performance is still excellent.

This is doubtless one of the best Ninths on record. the Penguin Guide and Grammophone, very appropriately, puts this recording at the top of the list of recommended 9ths. There are few better. This version can hold its own against the Furtwangler 1951 Bayreuth, the Furtwangler 1954 Lucerne. It definitely surpasses the 1962 Karajan and 1977 Karajan. Do yourself a favor. Solti's 1972 has a stronger team of soloists - Talvela and Burrows are exceptionally outstanding in the recording - Lorengar and Minton are superb too. The Chicago Symphony Chorus can rival the Philharmonia Chorus. But that is a studio recording.

This reading is compulsory for all classical musicians, in particular anyone who even remotely likes Beethoven.

To use Klemperer`s own words to describe a wonderful performance is I think an understatement. Critics have compared this 15th November 1957 live performance with those of Furtwangler`s 1951(EMI Classics)and 1954(Tahra). EMI producer Walter Legge took pains to hire Wilhelm Pitz in training a new Philharmonia Chorus supplemented by professionals.The result is a "wonderful, wonderful" performance which easily eclipses Klemperer`s studio version taken down about a week later.The Norwegian soprano Nordmo-Lovberg and the other soloists perform with great gusto. The orchestral playing is superb with the timpanist, horns and strings all playing in one musical unity. The public and critics were pleased.I am fond of the slow movement which is taken at a less heavenly tempo than Furtwangler. This CD is worthy of a great live occasion and a great conductor whose personality mesmerised the orchestra and chorus to great heights. One point about tempo, though. Klemperer sometimes tends to lag which disrupts the musical fluidity. For excitement, I prefer Oskar Fried`s 1927 version on Pearl. Still, Klemperer`s 1957 is an unforgettable experience.

One of the most enjoyable things about this recording is the feeling that you are actually at the Royal Festival Hall nearly 45 years ago with Klemperer, soloists, orchestra and chorus. A time machine has transported you to an audience seat at a momentous occasion. This is especially evident when you hear, under Klemperer's direction, pulsating tympani strokes and the voices of the soloists in the final movement. And there are moments when wind and brass instruments pop out with remarkable presence. But there is a good deal here that marks this as a most impressive performance---dynamics in particular. Note how Klemperer uses the tympani to provide a feeling of reinforced power throughout various segments of the symphony. His sense of thrust is also quite noteworthy. And, in particular, the last movement is presented extremely well---with formidableness, telling detail and musicality. I should add there is relatively little audience intrusiveness during the performance. Whether you are a Klemperer fan or not, this entire presentation is a grand one, and the sense of palpability is most pleasurable. The Testament label provides another rewarding listening experience.

If you are a fan of kettledrums, you will adore this recording! Honestly, it sounds like a pirate tape made by the timpanist, because when the timpani are being played, the rest of the orchestra is almost completely drowned out. Next loudest are the brass, then the winds. The strings sound as if they are in the distance. The chorus sounds loud and clear, as do, strangely enough, the soloists (perhaps the soloists were placed behind the orchestra?). What I did hear of the performance was bracing and beautiful indeed, despite some shaky intonation from the low horns. Klemperer brings a rhythmic sharpness and energy to every musical phrase. Among the soloists, the bass (Hans Hotter) stands out. Christa Ludwig is wonderful, as always, and the Norwegian soprano Aase Nordmo-Loevberg does a fine job. Interesting observation: when Waldemar Kment (tenor) starts to rush his solo passage (during the "Turkish March"), Klemperer refuses to follow him and stands his ground (unlike Zubin Mehta's live 1983 recording with the NY Philharmonic, where Jon Vickers does the same thing but Mehta caves in)! It makes me anxious to hear the studio recording made by these same forces within days of this performance. I still recommend this because of the undeniable power of hearing a live performance and because of the sheer genius of Klemperer's conducting.

This is a great live recording from 1957, but it's not as good as the new live Klemperer recording of the 9th TESTAMENT just released.

This one is pretty good, typical Klemp, but the new 1961 live recording issued by TESTAMENT totally outclasses and outshines the 1957 version. The playing is more concentrated and intense, and the interpretation has more tragic feeling and greater majesty and nobility than ever before. The choral forces are like a thunderbolt from heaven, when comparing it to its predecesor!

It's Klemp like you've never known! Klemp was on fire.

Plus, TESTAMENT did a very fine job on the remastering of the mono sound.

Actually, the 1961 live Klemp has just become my new favorite 9th, after the 1942 Furtwangler wartime 9th. I would sacrifice the 1957 Klemp and get the 1961 Klemp instead, it's so much better! You go through a much more elevated experience.

(By the way...TESTAMENT have also just released the 1961 live Fidelio with Klemperer from Covent Garden!)

-We all owe TESTAMENT great thanks for the work their doing and have done on issuing rare Klemps for humanity. Thanks TESTAMENT and thanks OTTO KLEMPERER.

Klemperer wanted this performance of beethoven 9 to be the crowning achievement in his beethoven cycle in london in 1957, in which he made recordings in the studio right after these concerts. He wanted the best choral forces possible, so he asked Walter Legge, his record producer to recruit people...he did an amazing job...he hired Wilhelm Pitz, the greatest choral director in europe at that time as well as choral director at Bayreuth, and was amazed at the results for an amateur group. After the wonderful choral performance, klemperer was very satisfied with what he got: "I was very proud of you," was what he said, according to the CD booklet, and that coming from a man who was hardly complimentary.
As for the rest of the performance, be prepared for one of the greatest Beethoven 9 ever. The first movement is highly powerful, even acopalyptic. The second movement is quite deliberate compared to most, and it does seem to go on forever (klmep even takes the long second repeat!) but it is such a joy to hear such incredibly powerful and beautiful music for such extended periods of time. He's not afraid to take his time and allow the listener to bathe in the wonderful halo of sound. Klempere also makes the crescendos and forte buildups incredibly suspenseful. The third movement is as flowing as his previous two movements are powerful. It's easy to get lost in the movement, but the form is made so clear here and allows the listener to see the genius of beethoven embellish each section as it repeats. The playing here is transparent so that the counterpoint comes through, something klemperer does well, i find. Perhaps this is what makes his mahler so successful, due to the dense scoring.
Now, the last movement, incredibly dense. Klemperer's rendering is sparkling, especially the almost cliché ode to joy theme, which sings beautifully. His soloists are incredible (much better than on his studio recording, made a week later). Hans Hotter, the wotan of the 50s makes his entrance monumental, truly groundbreaking. The chorus, which comes in after, is a joy to hear...indeed, the philharmonia orchestra chorus reigned supreme in europe, next to bayreuth for quite some time. Diction is incredible, as well as musicality, which comes from the director, as well as klemperer, who i'm sure rehearsed them as well as pitz. Aase-Nordmo-Lovberg is not my favorite soprano, but she sings well here and has a beautiful high B at the end of her solo. The final pages are thrilling and are not taken at light speed, which makes the ending even more explosive. Explosive is the right word to describe the audience's ovation at the end, not a whit to strong for the situation.
All in all, this is one fabulous recording that demands a place in any worthwhile collection. Klemperer's conducting is fabulous as well as the orchestra, chorus, and soloists. His studio recording, mentioned above is also good, though slightly slower, but not lacking in concentration by any means. The studio one is cheaper by a few dollars, but if you had to take one to a desert island, this is the one.

This recording, with the exception of Klemp's studio version from the same year, moves me like no other. For me, it's the greatest Beethoven ninth on record. The interpretation is very similar to Klemperer's studio version (EMI). But this recording, which was recorded live just before the famous studio recording, adds the extra frisson of a live performance. No playing on routine here - everyone is giving their very best, and Klemperer's interpretation is both monumental and gripping. Unlike all other conductors, he demands clear efforts from all departments, which results in an outstanding performance.

If you haven't heard this ninth or the studio counterpart, you haven't heard Beethoven's ninth at its very best. The difference consists partly in the fact that Klemperer lets the trombones and percussion play as they should, according to the score - i.e. clearly audible. Most other conductors tend to ignore this. On the present recording, the result is just amazing.

The recording quality is very fine, despite its age. It is far better than many other, later recordings (e.g., Karajan's).

But the main thing concerns the interpretation. This recording is the one to have (alternative: the studio version). The applause and bravo roars after the final bars are telling: this was a great musical event, like no other on earth - ever.