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Beethoven: The Nine Symphonies - Barenboim / Berliner Staatskapelle

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In the liner notes to this superb set of Beethoven's symphonies, Barenboim notes that he has taken some liberties with the new Jonathan Del Mar-edited scores by following traditional practices established by great conductors such as Furtwangler. The results are a somewhat conventional set of Beethoven's symphonies that are brilliantly performed by the Berlin Staatskapelle; these well-balanced recordings are unquestionably among the finest produced by Teldec's engineers (I'm sure that the DVD versions of these are absolutely stunning.). The Berlin Staatskapelle's lush, warm playing is quite akin to the Berlin Philharmonic of the early 1960's under von Karajan's baton. Yet these performances don't have the loud brashness or swagger of Karajan's acclaimed 1960's cycle. In stark contrast, Barenboim seems comfortable assuming several personas as a conductor, ranging from lyrical in his conducting of the 6th Symphony to loud, almost Wagnerian, in his interpretation of the 9th Symphony. Aside from these, other exceptional performances include his interpretations of the 3rd, 7th and 8th. The only major disappointment is his rather sedate conducting of the 5th, which isn't as inspiring as the Kleiber/Vienna Philharmonic, Bernstein/Vienna Philharmonic, Giulini/Los Angeles Philharmonic, Harnoncourt/Chamber Orchestra of Europe or Abbado/Berlin Philharmonic recordings. Barenboim shows that he is a fine interpreter of Beethoven. I eagerly await any future recordings he may have with the Berlin Staatskapelle as both conductor and soloist of the entire Beethoven piano concerto cycle.

I bought this box set of Beethoven's nine symphonies, and before listening to it, I was rather skeptical of the performance quality. I have other Barenboim performances and know of his talent as a musician, especially with the works of Beethoven, however I didn't think that he could transfer this ability over to conducting. This set proved me wrong. Barenboim gives one of the best conducting performances in what is probably overall the best Beethoven cycle around, both in performance and sound quality. The tempi are perfect, the orchestra plays magnificently with great articulation and emotion, and the digital recording offers a sound quality that cannot be surpassed by any of the other great Beethoven cycles. Some other reviewers have said that the set is good but the Fifth Symphony is weak. I'm going to have to say that the Fifth is the weakest of the set, however, that doesn't mean it's a weak performance, just doesn't seem as inspired as the others; it is, nevertheless, still better than a large majority of the other versions out there. Great, great, great box set. The ninth is probably the best performance around, and all the other symphonies are also great. Highly recommend this new recording of the most famous set of symphonies in music.

Barenboim's approach to these pillars of the classical repertoire is very similar to that of Furtwängler: modify tempi during the course of a movement in hopes of conveying the expression of the section to a greater degree. I have mixed feelings about this approach: one the one hand, it works very well in the most dramatic, intense works like the Fifth and the Ninth (when used moderately). On the other hand, in much of Beethoven's music, I don't think this shifting is appropriate. For example, in the Haydenesque first two symphonies, the relatively straightforward material needs an appropriately straightforward approach. In a Haydn or a Mozart symphony, you won't (or at least shouldn't!) find tempi fluctuating all over the place. And in general, I think switching tempi in the middle of the piece where the composer didn't indicate anything is both presumptuous and inappropriate ... at least in Classical pieces. Romantic pieces are a different story, and I think can greatly benefit from tempo adjustment, but Classical pieces have a clearer sense of structure and performances need to uphold that.

To choose a few representative examples of Barenboim's approach: in the famous first movement of the Fifth, Barenboim's acceleration from the quiet section immediatlely after the opening into the downward rushing of the strings works very well. Barenboim's slower tempo helps to convey the mystery of the quiet parts, and the contrast between it and the louder parts is heightened by the change of the tempo. However, there are more places where this approach does not work. In the booklet interview, Barenboim recalls a performance of the Seventh under Furtwängler where the finale was "not strictly in tempo," and he was incredibly impressed by it. He seems to have been attempting to recreate this effect in his current Seventh; unfortunately, the many tempo fluctuations come in what seem to me like completely random places, and don't make musical sense to me. The problem is even worse in the Ninth. The famous opening of the first movement is taken at an unbelievably slow pace - so slow, in fact, that Barenboim has to disregard Beethoven's marking of the second violins' tremolo as sixteenth-note sextuplets and turn them into a simple tremolo in order to retain the "drama." He rapidly speeds up from this ridiculous tempo, but switches back and forth throughout the course of the movement, which is extremely distracting. His justification for this is that it's a coming into being, and so it's not a crime to start it under tempo. My opinion is that the "coming into being" is all expressed in the music, and doesn't need a funereal tempo to help the effect.

However, when Barenboim resists the temptation to switch tempi, the results can be revelatory. His second and fourth movements of the Ninth are as fine as any I have ever heard, particularly the finale, which benefits from a fabulous chorus and quartet of soloists. Other highlights of the set include the Eighth, straightforward and joyful, the lyrical Pastoral (though not as glorious as Böhm's!), and the electric Fifth. The Eroica, despite many heroic and grand moments throughout, doesn't quite come off for me; it feels a little too eccentric, especially in the first movement. Barenboim takes over 19 minutes to get through it, and introduces many weird, distracting dynamics switches. The first two symphonies, where Barenboim is at his most straightforward, are very rewarding, as, to a lesser degree is the Fourth, which I feel lacks the last degree of rhythmic inflection and point.

Overall, though, these are fabulous performances, and raise you to heights undreamed of by many others. Barenboim's basic tempo choices are particularly strong, except for in several of the slow movements (1, 4, 7, 9) where he succumbs to the temptation to inflate them. Thanks to marvelous playing from the Staatskapelle Berlin, these performances are currently at the top of my list of Beethoven symphony cycles. I have yet to hear Böhm's complete cycle, however, which could prove to top Barenboim's. Another problem with Barenboim's recording is that it's much more expensive than the recordings of Karajan, Böhm, Toscanini, Furtwängler, et al. ...

I shop almost exclusively for mid-priced cd's (since there are so many good ones from which to choose, whether on-line, at brick-and-mortar book/music stores, or at used cd stores). So when I inadvertently came across Daniel Barenboim's newly recorded set of Beethoven's Symphonies on Teldec at a reduced price, I couldn't resist purchasing it. Reviews of the set (posted here at Amazon) have been quite favorable, but I wanted to see for myself how Barenboim's renditions compared with the interpretations of Beethoven's symphonies by other well-known and respected conductors.

There are currently plenty of mid-priced Beethoven cd's on the market. I love Karl Bohm's (ADD) version of Beethoven's Sixth Symphony (on Deutsche Grammophon); it's powerful and wonderfully performed. Herbert von Karajan's Sixth (ADD, also on DG) is another good buy offering beautifully interpreted music. Bohm's Sixth was recorded in the early 1970's, and Karajan's in the late 1970's. Although the remnant analog hiss is present on both discs, it's only really noticeable between tracks.

For digital recordings, Carlo Maria Giulini's recording of Beethoven's Fifth (on DG) is outstanding, as is Vladimir Ashkenazy's recording of the Fifth and Seventh (on London). I was also lucky enough to find a rare cut-out of Michael Tilson Thomas's recording of Beethoven's First and Second Symphonies on CBS Masterworks. And James Levine's version of Beethoven's Third (on DG), which I purchased used, is another fine recording of a symphony often lost beneath Beethoven's more popular works. I'm fond, too, of Bohm's recording of Beethoven's Ninth (DDD, on DG), though it's a bit too heavy and long for my tastes.

Barenboim's set of Beethoven's Symphonies 1-9 (on Teldec) represents the finest collection of Beethoven's symphonies that I have heard to date. The digital recording is crisp and clean without sounding either sterile or hollow. The Berliner Staatskapelle, under the careful direction of Barenboim, meets the challenge of performing each symphony with an amazing sense of precision that never sounds mechanical or detached. And Barenboim conducts each symphony with an emotional intensity that permeates throughout the entire set. From the First through the Ninth, each work reflects the true genius and talent of Beethoven. Barenboim and the Berliner Staatskapelle have recorded a set that I believe has established the standard for all future Beethoven recordings.

The Barenboim set, of course, is no doubt expensive, even for a six-disc set (about $14/disc, not including shipping). I paid nearly $70.00 for all of the ADD and DDD Beethoven discs referenced above. And while I love all of them, they all vary to one degree or another in terms of sound quality (ADD versus DDD) and quality of performance. Although costly, the Barenboim set offers excellent DDD recordings and consistent performances throughout the package. My only real criticism is with the set's packaging -- Teldec could have issued the symphonies on five versus six cd's, and reserved the sixth for Beethoven's overtures. But that's a minor criticism when compared with the quality of the symphonies and the set's exhaustive liner notes.

Rather than add to your Beethoven collection piecemeal and experiment via trial and error, I highly recommend buying the Barenboim set. It's an expensive investment, but one that you will be sure to cherish forever.

Two of Wilhelm Furtwangler's protogees, Daniel Barenboim and Peter Maag, recorded complete Beethoven symphony cycles. Both came to it later in life - Barenboim at age 57, Maag at age 75. Maag was open about waiting because he felt Furtwangler's long shadow in this repertoire, and while Barenboim has not admitted as much I would not be surprised if the same were true for him as well. Both Barenboim and Maag imbibed Furtwangler's teaching at the deepest level, which means they are completely and spontaneously themselves and assiduously play not just the notes but also what lies beneath and between them.

Not surprisingly, these two cycles are amongst the most searching, satisfying and moving accounts of these symphonies. They are also quite different, showing both conductors' other influences (for Barenboim, his study with Furtwangler's soul-mate, Swiss pianist Edwin Fischer, and for Maag, his study with the mercurial French pianist Alfred Cortot and the Swiss conductor Ernest Ansermet) and personal predilections. I've reviewed Maag's cycle elsewhere on amazon; suffice to say here that he recorded it with a small, obscure Italian chamber orchestra and it shows a romantic, intuitive approach tempered by rational analysis. Barenboim, on the other hand, recorded his with the large and sumptuous Berlin Staatskapelle and his interpretations, while equally intuitive, are squarely in the German romantic tradition.

As amazon reviewer David Hurwitz pointed out in his review of this set on Classics Today ([...]), Barenboim shares the German romantic tradition with Furtwangler but is not his clone. Hurwitz describes great performances in this tradition, and his description fits Barenboim's work on this set to a "T": "A great performance of this school displays a dark, weighty orchestral sonority built on a rich cushion of strings; seamless, legato phrasing over large musical paragraphs; rock solid bass lines and timpani; and flexible tempos that can vary considerably within the individual movements, but which never impede the music's overall flow." While Barenboim has internalized that tradition, he shows considerably more attention to instrumental detail and classical structure, as well as Beethoven's humor, than his mentor. Barenboim is also the better baton technician (certainly not one of Furtwangler's strong suits), and these performances show an exceptional degree of ensemble unity and textual clarity. Barenboim has clearly rehearsed these pieces carefully with the orchestra and communicates clearly what he wants. And Barenboim's grasp of Beethoven's heroic and spiritual dimensions rivals his mentor's. What more could we ask? For more detail, I strongly recommend going to Hurwitz' review; he says it better than I can.

What baffles me is that this set was re-released on Warner Classics at a (relatively) bargain price and shows up as available on Warner Classics' website (as it does on towerrecords.com), but does not show up on amazon. How such a profound and beautiful set of these symphonies, one of the very best and one which ought to be in everyone's classical music library, could be so unavailable on amazon baffles me. Perhaps amazon will have rectified this problem by the time you read this review.

This is an essential recording. Buy it wherever you can.

I have five complete Beethoven cycles on CD (Barenboim, 60's Karajan, Harnoncourt, Szell, and Pletnev), two on LP (Toscanini and Bohm) and I own or have heard many more recordings of individual symphonies (including a various of Furtwaengler studio recordings and bootlegs). The playing in Barenboim's cycle seems to my ears to be the most precise on record, and the precision serves to elicit music from the music. Every line of every part sounds both articulated and balanced, as if Barenboim were trying to achieve with the orchestra what Glenn Gould did with the piano. The sound of the recording itself is gloriously transparent. No 'Pastorale' is as graceful or pastoral as the one contained herein, and the Ninth is a strong contender for favorite status (against the '62 Karajan on DG and '57 Klemperer on Testament). Though I may have other favorite recordings of various symphonies (Barbirolli's and Knappertsbusch's Eroicas, Szell's Fourth, Kleiber's Fifth and Seventh), no other cycle is as consistently near the top as Barenboim's.

You need to have two recordings to fully appreciate Beethoven's Nine, Karajan and Barenboim. They are so different that they are beyond comparison but are still miles above the rest. From Karajan we get a sense of the raw intensity of the symphonies as he takes the tempi much faster than Barenboim. If I had to characterize each set in one phrase Karajan would be cool intensity and Barenboim would be epic. The Berlin Staatskapelle sounds so wonderful in this set with perfect intonation and a blend of tone I have never heard the likes of in all my years listening to orchestral music. The real highlights of this set are 1, 3, 5 (the most epic performance ever), 6(so incredibly warm), 7, and 9(never has sounded better). Barenboim's choice of tempi and articulation style are perfect for outlining the harmonic tension under the music and although he takes things a bit slower the music keeps going at a steady pace. I am absolutely sure that you will love this set if not make it your favorite recording of the nine. Highest recommendation. Also check out Barenboim's recording with this same orchestra of the Schumann symphonies, a purely definitive set. Absolutely Wonderful!

Many of the greatest conductors are judged by their Beethoven symphony cycles. From greats of the past like Furtwängler, Toscanini, Klemperer, and Karajan to more modern ones like Solti, Blomstedt, Böhm, and Abbado, we have a gamut of recordings to choose from and each cycle has its own merits and disadvantages that make the conductor's interpretation unique. This cycle, conducted by Barenboim in the last decade, is perhaps one of the most convincing out of a very huge lot of great recordings. This cycle uses the Hanslick edition of Beethoven's scores, and Barenboim is able to imbue this new text with great detail and colours that are nonexistent in some of the older cycles. Never in a cycle have I heard all the instruments played with such care of detail that each section comes with great sonority without ever sacrificing the contributions of the other parts. That said, the string section never overpowers like in Karajan's recordings, nor do the brass players sound loud like Solti's Chicago symphonies.

Another merit of this recording is Barenboim's well-judged tempi. They recall the Romantic tradition of phrasing, but it is never heavy like Klemperer's conducting. It is transparent and forward-moving, which is definitely an advantage in these symphonies where conductor's either take things in a light, crystalline interpretation like Szell's magnificent account, or in a dark, granitic fashion like Furtwängler's. I would say that this is Beethoven playing at its finest, and Barenboim is able to combine the best elements from each conductor into a fine interpretation that contains the best marks of his music-making.

In this cycle, everything, in my opinion, is a must-heart. Of notable mention, however, is his Eroica, his Pastoral, his seventh, and his Ninth. There is an outstanding energy in his Eroica and a very correct gravitas that fails to coalesce in many a conductor's interpretation. His Pastoral is conducted with such lightness and a natural spontaneity that hallmarks an understanding of Beethoven's latter music. His seventh is conducted with grace and litheness that makes it one of the very best. His Ninth boasts well-judged tempi, contrasting the changing mood of each movement until the glorious choral outburst in the last movement. Of notable mention too are the magnificent team of soloists that include Soile Isokoski, Robert Gambill, and Rene Pape.

This is a great recording of a Beethoven cycle that recalls a bygone age of conducting. Is it the perfect Beethoven cycle? For me, it is.

With so many sets of the Beethoven symphonies available, any new recording has to offer something really new, or has to be really extraordinary, to justify its existence. Thanks to the original-instrument movement, we had in the last ten years or so some refreshing views on these monuments of the orchestral repertory. Norrington, Harnoncourt, Gardiner, Zinman, Mackerras have all offered remarkable sets, despite their flaws. Barenboim mostly tops them by going back to an old tradition of conducting without losing sight of some lessons from the "historically informed" bands. It's well known that Barenboim admires Furtwängler above all, and he tries to adopt the old master's flexible approach to tempos and dynamics. But for all his devotion to the old school, Barenboim has achieved an orchestral transparency that has basically been a staple of the historically informed bands. Not only he divides the violins antiphonally, with great effect, but he also gives much more prominence to the winds and timpani than was common a couple of decades ago. Being a Furtwängler devotee, Barenboim of course adopts much slower tempos than the ones indicated by Beethoven's metronome marks and followed by historically informed conductors. But, like Klemperer, Barenboim manages to sustain the underliying tension that keeps the music flowing. He doesn't let the rhythm get loose. And he is helped by the playing of the Berlin Staatskapelle, that never falls into automatic pilot. I'm particularly glad to notice that the brass (especially the glorious horns) is very vivid in the Fifth Symphony, as it is throughout the cycle. At Carnegie Hall, when these musicians performed the nine symphonies in a splendid series of concerts, the Fifth disappointed with some timid brass. Barenboim does offer some novelties, like an unexpected reduction of volume in the buildup of the first movement's coda in the "Eroica." It's the kind of dynamic tinkering that doesn't convince me totally (I think Gardiner is much more effective in this sense) but that anyway doesn't affect the general enjoyment. Actually, in the whole series the only part that really bothers me is the way the orchestra rushes in the beginning of the Seventh Symphony's finale. Barenboim opts for a very fast speed there, and gets at first a messy blend. The strings don't articulate with the necessary crispness. But things get better later. That said, Barenboim isn't a top recommendation for each symphony individually. For the Ninth, I prefer Mackerras, who conveys better the tragedy of the first movement and especially the joy of the finale. Carlos Kleiber is still unsurpassed in the Fifth and Seventh Symphonies. Böhm's warmth makes his performance of the "Pastoral" hard to beat. Harnoncourt has a very pleasing Fourth. Erich Kleiber's classic recording of the "Eroica" is in a class of its own (and is also mono). Nonetheless, as a cycle, and with excelent digital recording, Barenboim's set is probably the best that has appeared in some time.

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 THE 2004 REISSUE, which was lost in Amazon's cloud due to faulty labelling. I'm not sure about this original 2000 Teldec box, but the 2004 WEA reissue 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, Mackerras, Norrington and Zinman. Some conductors, like Claudio Abbado, have embraced the movement and recorded new cycles in the stripped-down style. 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 elected 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.