Customer Reviews

The Beethoven Symphonies Live from The Edinburgh Festival [Box Set]

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In recordings by Klemperer and Furtwangler, Beethoven speaks to the infinite. In these live recordings by Mackerras, Beethoven speaks directly to you. Not everything he has to say is profound: there are plenty of jokes, rants, temper tantrums, hiccups, even farts. But he is never, not for a minute, boring. The symphonies sound as if the ink is still wet on the page, and Mackerras and orchestra give you the full, unedited emotional truth at what sometimes sounds like five hundred beats per minute. But these are the Beethoven's personally specified speeds. I hope at Edinburgh the audience wore seatbelts.

The 5th and the 9th are the pinnacles here, and ironically, it is the slow movements that give the fullest sense of both the breathtaking risks and the astonishing rewards of this remarkable set. There are also plenty moments of pure orchestral magic: the coda of "Eroica's" funeral march, the "storm" of the "Pastorale", the trio of the Seventh, the opening of the 9th. But it is the consistency and commitment of Mackerras's vision, and the bravura of the orchestras meeting his challenge, that make all five and a half hours of this set indispensible. I'll always listen to Kleiber's 4-7th, and will forever be grateful for the insights of Klemperer. But Mackerras's is the best complete recording I've heard since. It is at least the equal of his Janacek operas and the orchestral works of Mozart, and blows all other recent Beethoven efforts (including Gardiner's, Harnancourt's, Haitink's, Rattle's, Abbado's and Mackerras's own earlier studio versions) out of the water.

If Klemperer takes you on a deep sea dive, and Kleiber on a cruise down the rapids, Mackerras throws a bucket of water at your face. You'll want to scream. I think Beethoven would have loved it.

I must leave it to others to provide technical reviews. Even after fifty yearsof listening to classical music I cannot do it. But I can tell you when a recording is good. And this cycle is the best thing to happen to classical music is my lifetime. I grew up on, and love, the slower-temo monumental interpretations of Walter, Karajon and Klemperer. They are the foundation of my music collection. But this cycle brings a new energy to the music and thrusts it firmly into the twenty-first century. The smaller-sized chamber orchestra used in symphonies on through eight brings a lighter, sleek sound that somehow seems to fit naturally alongside the mighty sounds of the full-sized orchestras on earlier interpretations. The Scottish Chamber Orchestra plays this music with great aplomb and flair which brings life to their highest order technical proficiency. Each note is played to razor sharp brilliance. One only has to listen to the fourth movement of the seventh symphony to appreciate and sum up this cycle. I try not to be overtaken by excesses of expression, but I was truly "on the edge of my seat". I cannot remember becoming so excited about any music playing. And that excitement is maintained throughout the cycle. Clearly this is a new standard by which to judge Beethoven's symphonies. No matter that one may find something to complain about in this cycle. The music itself is so ingrained in our consciuosness that everyone will have a favorite part that is not given their preferred treatment. But those complaints, if they existed at all, would be so minor when compared to the incredible amount of great music-making obtained. Marvelously played and engineered, this cycle is a masterpiece. Buy it! It belongs in every music ollection.

The title of my review I have borrowed from Owen E. Walton from his magnificent and highly knowledgable review of these recordings on MusicWeb. I could not resist the impulse to use the words from his review, which so eloquently put down into one sentence the feel and the essence of these performances. These performances in their pure beauty and humanity speak straight to both the heart and the mind.
About the playing-technique, I personally love the way Sir Charles Mackerras allows the strings (almost) no vibrato, resulting in a very homogenous sound, and very pure and authentic(?). Anyway, I really like that 'smooth' vibrato-less sound: to my ears it adds clarity and purity to the overall sound-picture. Another ear-catching characteristic of these performances are the brass, which are very prominent, giving the performances some extra 'bite' and vibrancy. Probably, in line with historically informed performance, the brass are balanced within the orchestral forces in such a way that they sound more 'forward' - more clearly defined - than in other more 'traditional' performances. Also, woodwind and timpani (using hard sticks, I am told) are wonderfully prominent within the sound picture. Actually, all the instrument groups are very evenly balanced throughout all the recordings. That there are less string instruments in this chamber orchestra than with traditional recordings which use a full symphony orchestra also has to do with this, I guess(?).
Speeds are generally lively and swift, which, along with the freshness of instrumental sounds and the fine natural balances, give these performances a very fresh and energetic, but at the same time, to my ears at least, intimate feel. Why intimate? Maybe because of the relatively small orchestral forces that certainly produce a sound that is not as massive as a full modern symphony orchestra (but certainly as colorful and as powerful!), but also because of the result of the moulding of orchestral sounds and balances by an intelligent conductor of the highest artistic integrity who has made the Beethoven symphonies 'his own' over many years. In that sense too, the cover art is just wonderful: a beautifully intimate painting of a sympathetic Sir Charles sitting in his study, looking out at us from over his study-score, inviting us to come and listen to (and maybe comment on ;) his take on Ludwig van Beethoven's symphonies.
These are invigorating, pure performances from beginning to end. They will grow on you more and more as you listen to them again and again and again ... Along with the latest released cycles by Claudio Abbado (Berliner Philharmoniker) and Bernard Haitink (London Symphony Orchestra) and many others, this is surely one of the greatest Beethoven cycles ever recorded. For what it is worth, I very highly recommend these recordings by one of the truly great conductors of our time.

I own 21 complete sets of the Beethoven symphonies, and this is the one I would recommend over all others: the Mackerras live set on Hyperion. Absolutely beautiful playing and truly heart-felt interpretations. The only -- and I say *only* -- thing that could possibly put a damper on this set is the "baritone" in the 9th. ... I have never heard a more tenor-y baritone in all my life. He's not a bad singer by any stretch, but one does miss the deep bass resonance of soloists such as Talvela and Pape. ... Of course, in the grand scheme of things, this tiny blemish is really of very little importance. And, for what it's worth, this recording of the 9th is one of my all-time favorites. Just listen to the piccolo in the final moments -- Absolute joy! :-)

(Originally drafted in June 2011, updated Sep 2011).

The Mackerras set of the complete symphonies of Mozart (Telarc) was a major disappointment. There was joy and energy but little exploration of the many opportunities for voicing, phrasing,and inflection in the later symphonies. The recordings also suffered from excessive reverberation and tubbiness, sometimes a problem when recording at the Rudolfinium in Prague. My favorites, the Prague and the Jupiter, were tossed off with the same monotonous cheerfulness as Mozart's juvenilia.

Thus, coming to this Beethoven, I was apprehensive. But these are altogether splendid performances. While Mackerras is no Furtwangler or Tennstedt on the podium, these performances can confidently stand as monuments summing up his artistry as a conductor and the wisdom of a lifetime. Throughout the set, instruments are projected with color and detail, especially the winds and brass, but strings, too. Mackerras brings to these FM radio overplayed symphonies all the bubbling freshness and sheer ear appeal of Mozart's great Wind Serenades (K.361, 375, and 388), which seem to defy routine performance. Unlike his autopilot approach in the Mozart symphony set, Mackerras here catches the ear again and again with delectable phrasing and underlining, technicolor voicing, and passionate exuberance. Listen to the vehemence of Symphony no 8's first movement. This work is often politely conveyed as a backward nod to Haydn. Mackerras renders it with the same crushing power he finds appropriate to 3,5, 7 or 9. In fact, not one of the symphonies comes across as lightweight, rather unexpected in a set that aims to be "historically informed."

Then why the four star rating? Mainly because there are some problems with the sound engineering, perhaps a function of performance conditions, as these performances were recorded live at the 2006 Edinburgh festival. When the timpani are whacked, they disturb the splendid overall acoustic and briefly cloud over the otherwise brilliant and colorful detail. The violins lack presence at fortissimo and above, and the wonderful antiphonal effects Mackerras otherwise obtains by placing second violins on the left do not always emerge. While the celli and basses do not have the grinding power of the Vienna Philharmonic or the Concertgebouw, they are adequate if not spectacular. In the Ninth, the Philharmonia arrives and supplies more horsepower, richer strings, if less colorful winds. I thoroughly enjoyed this performance as well, except for the unheraldic bass soloist. It may lack the utter majesty of Tennstedt (LPO-0026), also recorded in performance, but is preferable in the first three movements.

Notwithstanding this criticism, this set is a keeper, one I will listen to often, and is preferable to other complete sets I have of Bernstein (DGG Vienna), Blomstedt (Brilliant), Klemperer (EMI), Furtwaengler (various), and Dohnanyi (Telarc). I have sampled the Vanska on BIS, which has the virtue of more powerful strings, but which does not match the color of Mackerras. NOTE: I purchased the Vanska set in September 2011 and have reviewed it separately. On high quality audio equipment, its virtues are a powerful plus and it would be my first recommendation for those with audiophile CD or SACD systems. Performances that sound laid back and not quite dynamic enough for this rousing composer come to life with great equipment.)

Finally, Mackerras gives us in the central repertoire all the passion, warmth and color we have heard in his inimitable Janacek.

Mackerras's Beethoven always had a lot going for it. This set, his second recorded cycle, has certainly taken historical informed practices and the urtext editions of the score to their logical extremes. And for some, this is enough to recommend this set. Indeed, tempos are bracing, tuttis are explosive, and the energy of these live performances is palpable. For me, however, while this set is certainly worth acquiring, it is not your everyday Beethoven.

Mackerras's approach is, across the board, fast, furious, and energetic. This pays big dividends in the forth and seventh symphonies. The forth is a scorcher of a performance. Mackerras's slow introduction isn't very slow and its all the better because of it. The opening string motives sound more like phrases and appropriately anticipate the allegro proper, to which the two opening chords explode like cannon shots. The same movements development is particularly fine as well, the lower strings and horns making some really dark and heavy tones. The minuet is also as fine as the best of the best, it's bumptious rhythm tripping over itself just as Beethoven intended.

The seventh is even finer still, due in no small part to Mackerras's inclusion of a contrabassoon. Mackerras has always included this instrument when performing the symphony as Beethoven had one at his disposal at the symphony's premiere. The effect is electrifying, not only where you would expect it, such as in the organ-grinding coda of the first movement or in the entirety of the finale, but also in the allegretto, where it adds an unyielding abundance of color.

Color is the operative word regarding Mackerras's orchestral timbre. Appropriately strident strings, fruity winds, and big brass play fabulously throughout. However, Mackerras's orchestral pallet could have, and should have, been more varied. The bracingly forward and bright trumpets certainly make the Fifth and Eighth symphonies all the more exciting. In the fifth, the first movement coda sparkles with energy that sounds genuinely exciting, rather than routine, while the scherzo and finale are satisfyingly grand. The first movement of the eighth is similarly bracing, especially in the development and recapitulatory climax.

However, in the early symphonies, the effect is less exciting than it is somewhat vulgar, oddly so, because Paavo Jarvi's approach is nearly identical, yet he manages excitement where Mackerras is aggressive. The Haydnesque charm of the first is overwhelmed by the martial trumpets and extreme tempos. The same is true of the second, where the tuttis take on a fustian ebullience that is somewhat off-putting.

But these complaints should not weight too heavily against this set, where Mackerras's musicality shines throughout. His innate sense of balance, tempo, and texture cannot be overemphasized. His mastery of sonata form is total, his pacing and sense of architecture spot on, and his energy boundless. A worthy addition to any Beethoven collection, if anything, for Mackerras's spectacular seventh.