Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 5, Egmont Overture; Weber: Oberon Overture

Ludwig van Beethoven (Composer), Carl Maria von Weber (Composer), Klaus Tennstedt (Conductor), London Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: London Philharmonic Orchestra
• Conductor: Klaus Tennstedt
• Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven, Carl Maria von Weber
• Audio CD (October 19, 2004)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: BBC Legends
• ASIN: B0002XL28Y
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #420,729 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Masterful Beethoven conducting in the grand old style, March 24, 2006

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Santa Fe Listener (Santa Fe, NM USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 5, Egmont Overture; Weber: Oberon Overture (Audio CD)

Klaus Tennstedt was almost 30 by the time Furtwangler died in 1954 and nearly 50 before he catapulted from obscurity in provincial Germany to international fame in 1974. His career was cut short by thorat cancer barely twenty years later. This BBC tape of live concerts from 1989-91 shows why Tennstedt gained such renown: he was a Beethoven conductor in the grand manner of Furtwnagler and Klemperer but with more spring in his rhythms than either. All these performances are on the slow side and exploit to the full Beethoven's heroic exultancy.

It may turn out that we will get the best of Tennstedt from live recordings like this one. He was a musician of spontaneous inspiration. Here he gets the London Phil., his own orchestra, to play with total commitment and intensity. The slightly murky stereo sound in Sym. #5 isn't of stuido quality, and the mikes sit a bit far back. That said, it would be hard to imagine more thrilling performances. Be prepared for a Sym. #1 played as grandly as the Fifth. This generous (79 min.) CD is filled out with an inspired, if slow Oberon Over. that is almost the best thing on it.

P.S. 2010 - The Tennstedt reissue machinery has rolled onward, and now we have glorious recordings on Profil, BBC Legends, and the London Phil's house label.

0 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars nice beethoven symph nos.1,5;egmont&(weber)oberon overtures, September 23, 2010

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bob e. (honolulu,hi) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 5, Egmont Overture; Weber: Oberon Overture (Audio CD)

its a personal,yet emblematic,universal economic tragedy that appropriate remuneration commensurate with beethoven's 1st movement of his symphony no. 5,op.67-'allegro con brio'(7:36)[so awe-inspiring in its magnificence/quality/brilliance] was not forthcoming. beethoven's symphony no. 1,op.21 starts with an advancement of the music of such a work as mozart-posthornserenade,and by the 2nd movement surrounding birds chirped to my headphones as they had to the 1st movement of symphony no. 5. the 3rd and last movements called up to my mind U.S. Presidents A. Lincoln, T. Roosevelt and G. Washington-in that order-who lived their lives with force and genius of purpose. the brief liner booklet notes contain nothing about the composers and their work,only an overview of some parts of the conductor's life and technical approach to this (live) program. early on, go for karajan(1963)and tennstedt's bbc legends/(live!) for all! of beethoven's symphonies - a referral by the excellent reviewer, santa fe listener - to begin/continue collecting them. and read those reviews till you eyes close up.