Customer Reviews

Beethoven: The Symphonies

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

If you have Karajan's 1963 Deutsche Grammophon Beethoven cycle, then you must buy this set: Listen to the Karajan cycle first:
Imagine Solti hearing it, dying multiple quiet deaths and jealously thinking "Wait until I have my own symphony orchestra!" The point is: This is Solti's answer, (recorded soon after Solti took over the CSO in 1971) and remains to this day the only Beethoven set that is not blown away by the power of Karajan '63. The major scorecard: Karajan's Eroica is better, the 5th is a tie and the 9th goes to Solti on the strength of his blinding second movement.

You must own both sets: These are the major salvos of a long contest, a "battle of the titans" rivalry. (highlighted by Karajan's 30 year ban on Solti from the Salzburg festival) Think about it: Karajan and the mighty Berlin Philharmonic met on equal terms by Solti and an American symphony!

After Maestro Solti passed in '97, Beethoven surely invited Karajan and Solti to some heavenly pub to celebrate the great rivalry, with Furtwangler and Toscanini rounding out the table.

Solti recorded this Beethoven cycle from Chicago between 1972 and 1975. The first thing to say in its favor is that the sonics are up to Decca's analog standards, with lots of detail, dynamic range, and punch. That suits Solti's style in Beethoven, because although he reins in his trademark fierce attacks and driving tempos, he's still aggressive. It's not so much that he sides with Toscanini against Furtwangler, but that he performs Beethoven from the outside, marshalling all the externals while revealing almost nothing of his own feelings for the music. Millions of CD buyers clearly like his style, and since I hadn't heard all his Beethoven symphonies, I thought I'd survey them.

CD1 contains the 5th and 2nd symphonies, which sound much the same under Solti's direction. He pulls Beethoven forcefully out of the classical world of Haydn, an effect amplified by using a full modern orchestra. The lovely slow movement of the Second is bulked up beyond what we hear nowadays, and the Scherzo proceeds with startling sfozando accent that stab at the rhythm. The finale is fast and efficient. Strangely, the Fifth could use more of this propulsion. After a biting attck at the famous motto, the strings become almost mechanical. Solti needs to supply vitality form the inside, but he doesn't. As a result, all the movements sound proficient and impersonal. The CSO brass dominate the finale, as you'd expect, but Solti's tempo lags a bit behind Beethoven's Allegro con brio.

CD 2 is devoted to the Eroica and two overtures, Egmont and Coriolan. The opening movement of the symphony is surprisingly old-fashioned and measured, but accents are strong. In its broad, forthright way it's convincing, despite moments when vitality lapses. The funeral march is serious, dignified and well-paced. If only Solti could find it in himself to be moved, because without that, we won't be. The Scherzo is exemplary and the horn trio a thrill (it's taken at tempo but not fast). The impression of a traditional Eroica is underscored in the finale, which is more respectful than abandoned. The two overtures are in the same vein, their chief virtue being the orchestra and the recorded sound. Still, this is one of the more successful CDs in the set.

CD 3 brings a fairly familiar pairing, the Pastorale and 8th symphonies. Solti would seem to be ill-suited to the gentler, bucolic side of Beethoven, but he is never less than skillful and respectful. The Pastorale finds him in a relaxed mood--I'm not sure I'd call it genial--and frankly the results are more successful than Karajan's over-poolished, emotionally frigid accounts. The Chicago strings remain sweet and almost Viennese throughout. After a proficient Scherzo in the style of Szell (no actual peasants allowed) and with excellent wind solos, the storm proceeds without undue shocks. In other words, it doesn't inspire Solti to brutality. The finale needs more joy and reverence, but it is robust and direct. In all, one of Solti's best efforts in Beethoven.

The 8th opens with a too-heavy Allegro vivace, but Solti is in good humor and doesn't drag things down. To me, this symphony requires the kind of wit, delicacy, and effervescence as Mendelssohn, and since Solti only gives us a traditional Germanic account, with sharper than usual accents, I am not ovelry enthusiastic. But as a filler to the Sixth this is more than adequate, and one can always fall back upon the gorgeous playing.

CD 4 gathers the 7th and 1st Symphonies, an odd pairing. The 7th requires an exceptional reading to efface memories of Kleiber and Karajan, specialists in this work. Solti isn't inspired, but the CSO plays with blazing commitment, which counts for a lot (they were just as good for Reiner in his classic account on RCA Living Stereo). LIsteners who want to hear lots of horns in the mix will be more than satisfied. Solti's rhythm could be crisper in the first movement; the Allegretto is taken a bit faster than the norm in German readings but isn't light-footed. The Scerzo is alert, speedy, and totally successful. I always hear Karajan's searing finale in my ears, but Solti comes fairly close. In all, a good Seventh keeping up with the Eroica and Pastoral.

The 1st Sym. copies the style of the 2nd in being ig-boned, forceful, and romantic. The recording is especially good, giving us lots of woodwind detail and impact in the orchestra's wide dynamic range. There's not a puny note here, which is a mized blessing in a work that cries out for delicacy and wit. Of its overblown kind, however, this is a good reading that never sags.

CD 5 contains the Leonore Over. #3, the 4th Sym., and the first movement of the Ninth. Splitting the 9th on to two discs isn't a sin, but Decca has been stingy with timings: most Beethoven cycles fit on 5 CDs without overtures, or perhaps one. Solti's Fourth is in the same traditional style as his Eighth; it's given weight and iportance but ddoesn't sag. Despite a fairly impersonal slow movement, the other movements are satisfying. The Leonore #3 is forceful and dramatic, lacking only what it must have: blazing inspiration. But if you have hung in this long, I think you will find Solti better--and more traditional--at Beethoven than his take-no-prisoners reputation would lead us to believe.

CD 6 completes the 9th Sym., whose first movement on the preceding CD, was forthright and dramatic but lacking in mystery. If you just want to hear a first-rate orchestra playing in excellent sound, this certainly fits the bill. If you want to hear a new or individual take on a masterpiece, it doesn't. The Scherzo proceeds very well, with Solti keeping the rhythm alive and alert. The Adagio, at 19 min., is one of the slower ones; this tempo requires the conductor to keep an unwavering conentration. Solti certainly controls his forces well--even Karajan doesn't give us a better played rendition. But by trying for a hushed, reverent atmosphere, Solti misses the music's spsiritual intensity. This is one movement you must conduct form the inside, from your own deep emotions, and Solti doesn't.

The theatricality of the choral finale is more up his alley. He's ore involved, and the exciting parts are very exciting, with the CSO lower strings outdoing all rivals for richness and accuracy. Solti's apaproach is too straightforward, however, missing much in terms of real eloquence and emotional depth. Marti Talvela makes a stunning, sonorous bass soloist, and the rest of the quartet is fine. The Chicago chorus is world-class, of course, and far exceeds the woolly, wobbly Vienna Singverein that Karajan used three times on DG. Several reviewers have called this 9th the high point of Solti's cycle, and I tend to agree.

In sum, a more satisfying Beethoven set than I expected, with excellent sonics and great playing from the CSO. Solti isn't profound, but his other virtues shine through.

In one word: AMAZING

Since I lost CDs in the set, I only had the chance to listen a lot to symphonies 2, 5, 6, and 8, to discover an intensity in classic music that I didn't know was possible.

I was so thrilled by this set of symphonies that I needed very badly to replace at least the 9th symphony I lost in the set; and found some, not by Solti and the CSO, but by what my "Beethoven Conoissieurs" recommended, von Karajan or Bruno Walter. Because of this accident I had the chance to compare three different approaches to Beethoven:

Beethoven music, for me, should be very passional, it should really move you, but 9th conducted by B. Walter sound slow, weak, feeble, and von Karajan only adequate compared to Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Georg Solti. The difference is so stark that I got into finding out why, and this is what I found: In Solti's interpretations there are explosions of sound that make you feel your chair is rocking, some passages have a depth of emotions that it feels like you are listening with your bones. Perhaps that's why there are guys in other Amazon reviews who complain that this interps sound a bit like Wagner. But in any case, you can perceive a very intense perfectionism, an almost mathematical precision to the execution that lead to the wonderful contrasts and richness I was describing.

In fact, these interpretations of Beethoven symphonies are so passional that sometimes I suspect that they may be distortions of Beethoven's originally intented ideas and definitively I can understand that some Beethoven fans may not like them. But I love this "supercharged" Beethoven style of Georg Solti, and would confidently say that if in Heaven Beethoven himself is acussing Solti of having misunderstood him, I would side with Solti with all due respect to Ludwig Van.

To summarize, this interpretations are so amazing that you may not even like them, although if you're fortunate, they may allow you to discover an unprecedented intensity.

I have the prejudice of all Karajan's recordings,even his Mahler interpretations, I wouldn't have prefered no beethoven recording more than his,and especially the symphonies.
But I'm shocked!This recording of solti is by no means less than his,I very much agree that this is his answer to Karajan,the best answer that he could have given.
Solti's efforts to overcome Karajan legacy in Beethoven symphonies is at last made this recording of a precious exception.Karajan must have the jealosy of the very 9th symphony which Solti so wonderfully conducts with a no less better orchestra than the Berlin Philharmonic.

I believe one of the dissenting reviewers remarked that Beethoven was not a romantic period composer and was in fact a member of the late classical, possibly squeezing into the early romantic, period. As such Solti's readings of the symphonies are "too loud and too slow." I will not dwell too long on just how reductionist and completely alien to the composers themselves the whole notion of 'periods' and 'phases' really is. It is simply our all too human obsession with ordering and categorising things - forcing that which we are unable to, or incapable of completely comprehending into nice, easily digestable portions. But in the typically blunt words of Marx, "Valery is a petit bourgeois but a petit bourgeois is not Valery".

Whilst several viewers are citing Solti's intrepretation of the first movement of the 'Eroica', celebrating Napoleon and the French Revolution (a dedication he unhesitatingly withdrew) as a detractor from this set, I must say that for me this is one of the sets many highlights. The seventh from start to finish is revelatory, the ninth, in particular the beautiful slow third movement, forces you to stop what you are doing and listen. Sure it would be nice to have the ninth all on one disc but then it would be nice to get this set for free - point being that it is at most a pedantic annoyance, technology shouldn't get in the way. Go buy an mp3 player and you won't look back on this score.

Where some say slow I say majestic, where some say loud, I say intense and inspired. This is intentional music-making; there is nothing passive or accidental here and those after a more filigreed reading, those shop owners seeking after mere elevator music and infoline filler, music that won't stop your customers dead in their tracks, then avoid this set like the plague.

I couldn't agree with the reviewer from Salem, Oregon any more. This set is simply amazing for the price-- Solti and the CSO come through in a way I didn't even think possible. My particular favorite on the set is the Fifth-- the principal trumpet seems to shake the entire world by himself in the fourth movement. A must-have for anyone even remotely interested in Beethoven.

With many apologies to the grumpy naysayers in these reviews, this is the best Beethoven symphony cycle for the money. I own three cycles and have heard countless others. These performances are consistently accurate, completely committed, and wear well on repeated listenings. Solti takes every repeat, nails nearly every tempo right on the nose, and the Chicago Symphony plays passionately throughout. (Remember: This recording was BEFORE the CSO rose to the height of the orchestral recording world in the 1970s and 80s, so they had something to prove.) There is a reason the CSO and Solti were so successful, and these recordings are a fine demonstration of the virtuosity, excitement, and attention to detail that put them on top for two decades.

First, let me say that this is the Solti set to own vs the newer one with the Chicago Symphony. I do not like most of Solti's later work with the Chicago, even his opera recordings. Period.

The interpretations here sparkle, and as a boxed entity of all 9, this is the one I usually recommend, as I am NOT a fan of the overly narcissistic HVK.

That said, I must complain heavily, about the sequencing of the symphonies within this box! I do not understand the unnecessary mixing them up so greatly, and absolutely SCREAM about the 9th being split onto two discs!!! (see my review of the 9th alone with Solti, available separately on one disc...if they could release it on one disc singly, tell me they needed to split it up here!!!!!)

So, it is a mixed bag, for sure. You need this cycle, unfortunately greatly shuffled. If you can, also, I suggest the separate purchase of the 9th as I did (again, see review). As a second first choice, I might suggest Kurt Masur's, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, the FIRST SET on Philips, but it is, I believe very hard at this point to locate.

First the good part, the 9th symphony here is tremendous, very powerful, spiritual and moving. The power of the first two movements is immense, the adagio spacious and deeply involving. The last movement has some of the finest soloists and choral work you're ever likely to hear. I would say overall, Solti's conception of this music is very Furtwangler-esque and it works! I've owned this great Ninth for years on a separate CD in the mid-line Penguin Classics series.

Loving that Ninth I wanted to find out what special qualities Solti might have brought to the rest of the Beethoven cycle, so I bought it. BIG MISTAKE. First off, why is the Ninth Symphony here split between two discs? It could easily have fit on one. The people at Decca must be absolute morons. So you have the best performance in the cycle split to two discs, idiotic!

Let's look at the rest of the performances. The first two symphonies are well played but are not nearly as exhilarating or intense as Karajan or even Bernstein! The 2nd symphony's larghetto slow movement is 13 and a half minutes. It sounds gorgeous but might be a bit too slow for most people in this performance. It typically takes 10 or 11 minutes. The Eroica is disappointing, with slow, bloated playing, nowhere near as exciting as Karajan. Solti takes the exposition repeat in the first movement and stretches the Allegro Con Brio to 19:34, very slow indeed! The rest of the symphony drags by, not generating much excitement. The 4th symphony is dull in Solti's hands and so is the Pastoral, the 7th and the 8th. I was really bored by the famous 5th. I expected this baby to be like lighting in Solti's hands, it comes out flat and dull in the first movement and lacks triumph and power in the grand finale. Just listen to Karajan's 1962 Fifth to truly get the power and bite of this awesome music.

So this cycle isn't so hot but it is still better than Solti's later digital cycle he recorded in the 1980's. Those performances are worse than these here and the sound in the 80's versions is less vibrant than these here.

For the most part, it would be beneficial and time saving if you skipped this Solti set of the symphonies, get Karajan if you crave a complete cycle. Just be sure to buy Solti's Ninth from this cycle separately in the Penguin Classics series. Solti is truly inspired in the Ninth symphony, like Furtwangler was for an earlier generation!

There is not a comparable conductor nor orchestra for the Beethoven interpretations than Solti and his beloved CSO. No, I am not prejudiced, just an ardent appreciator of this orchestra and the sensitive guidance provided over the years by Solti. He is sorely missed.

This would be a bargain at three times the price...