Customer Reviews

Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 5 [Hybrid SACD]

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Jarvi and his Bremen forces give us intense readings of these two warhorses that I find extremely interesting in my first couple of hearings. The chamber orchestra digs into the scores with relish. Tempos are fleet and the orchestra sonority highlights woodwind and brass detail. The modern strings use reduced vibrato, resulting in tone color that is akin to period instruments. I don't know if small bore brass instruments are used, but they certainly produce some nice snarls and burrs.

The Fifth gets a fast paced performance that reminds me of Benjamin Zander's Telarc reading. It is all very exciting and very exuberant - more the "Revolution" than the "Fate" Symphony. The first movement is fast paced and dramatic. The Andante con moto moves along at a good clip. It works in context but a little more relaxation would have been welcome. The Scherzo is handled interestly. The transition to the Finale is more spritely than spooky, a refreshing interpretive choice. The blazing Finale is played somewhat slower than the norm (again recalling Zander), an indication that Jarvi trusts Beethoven's metronome markings.

The performance of the First is ear opening. This is not a Haydnesque reading, but one that looks forward to the future. It is a cheeky (almost raucous) performance, not courtly, and full of unbuttoned humor. The cross rhythms are well handled and there is a wealth of woodwind and brass detail here as well. The Andante con moto cantabile may be closer to an Allegretto and a little short on "singing" quality, but a fascinatingly different take.

The SACD multi-channel sound is excellent. I am already looking forward to the release of the final two installments of the cycle. I have also collected Vanska's rival SACD cycle of the symphonies on BIS. Those performances are more traditional, large orchestra readings. Jarvi is more in your face. Both remind us of just how wonderful these repertory staples can be when played with commitment and freshness.

I have now heard and own the three discs that are currently available in the Paavo Jarvi/Bremen German Chamber Philharmonic cycle of Beethoven symphonies, and I must say that this cycle is, in my mind, the best recorded, best performed, and most enjoyable cycle ever. These are performances of real stature that, while you have never heard Beethoven like this, come across as completely valid interpretations of Beethoven's masterpieces; the performances in no way stray from the character and intent of the music's creator. They grab hold of you from the very first note until the very last note, and they do not let go. The sound quality on multi channel SACD equipment is astounding. The more I listen to these performances, the more I like them. I give them my highest recommendation, and consider them to be absolutely essential recordings. Beethoven must be looking down smiling and saying "yes, that's what I meant."

A new take on Beethoven's 5th symphony - or certainly a faster one. Jarvi's interpretation of Beethoven's work entails a lightning cadence (faster than Kleiber's rendition even) which is refreshing: my new favorite although I wonder if it is so fast that some of the subtleties of the movements are lost as a result. Better still, it allows you to really compare two takes on a masterpiece (slower vs. faster) which draws light to the subtleties I just mentioned. Either way, it is an excellent version.

The harmonics are A1 - truly a reference recording. It is dual-disc, and I'd highly recommend the SACD layer if you have the technical capabilities in your listening system.

1st Symphony is very good too, but you'll be more taken by the 5th (or at least I was). I'll be getting Jarvi's other Beethoven Symphonies as they become available.

I'm in Beethoven heaven. Having enjoyed the recent boon of Beethoven symphony recordings, due in no small part to the new Barenreiter editions expertly edited by Jonathan Del Mar, from Zinman to Vanska's hyperkinetic cycle, along comes yet another recording of the most basic of basic repertoire mainstays that proves that a conductor with an idiomatic point of view and a committed orchestra can make this music sound new, fresh, and exciting. Enter Paavo Jarvi and the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie of Bremen.

This is really an extraordinary Fifth, from start to finish, on par with Carlos Kleiber's legendary account with the Vienna Philharmonic. If I had any reservations about this performance at all, it would be that first movement coda lacks that last ounce of frenetic energy that Kleiber brought to this music and that the trumpets in the finale could ring out a tad more in some of their fanfares. On all other accounts, this performance simply disarms criticism of any kind. Right from the opening bars, Jarvi and his players make clear that the chamber proportions (the Bremen players number about forty) in no way detract from the music's overall power. On the other hand, smaller forces means more textural clarity, and nowhere is this more welcome than in the first movement of the fifth, where the "fate" rhythm is constantly tossed about. It's rare to hear this all-too-familiar music sound so fresh, so gripping, and so engaging,

For me, at about eight and one half minutes, Jarvi's adagio is perfectly paced, briskly flowing but never sounding rushed. Jarvi's shapes the variations magnificently, imbuing the main theme with confidence tempered with caution, shaping powerful, but never overbearing fanfares, and bringing the music to an appropriately gentle close.

The scherzo is ideal, even if Jarvi fails to (correctly) repeat the scherzo proper before leading into the famous transition. The horns sound ominous without becoming vulgar, while the orchestra tip toes the murky orchestral waters with balletic grace. And has the trio ever sounded so exciting? The smaller forces bring textual clarity, but there is no lack of weight. The lower strings literally dig into their part with amazing ferocity, all the while Jarvi unearths textural details, like the all-to-often ignored "fate" motif in the brass.

The finale comes off best of all. There are too many fantastic moments to bring up in detail, but one in particular is worth mentioning. During the build-up to the developmental climax, which leads into the ghost of the scherzo, the winds and brass alternate playing the "fate" motif, all while the strings steadily build tension through their terraced climb to G major. So often, this section comes off a muddied mess, but here, the top to bottom textual clarity, not to mention the fierce articulation and razor like orchestral precision, is really incomparable. The G major cadence will give even the most jaded listener goose bumps and will leave you breathless.

The same quality pervade the performance of the First, from the added drama Jarvi creates by accenting the first theme of the allegro or the little comic retardando Jarvi takes right before that same movements recapitulation. The flowing tempo of the allegretto allows the movement to take shape, all the while Jarvi again finding new and interesting details along the way. If listeners find Jarvi's minuetto lacks the extra pomp and circumstance of Gunter Wand's fantastic approach, they certain will appreciate the bouncy trio, brilliantly played by the orchestra. And the finale is as good as Vanska's fabulous recording, but has grander proclamations from the brass and some thunderous timpani playing.

Jarvi's Beethoven has all the ensemble precision of Szell or Vanska and the excitement of Wand or Toscanini. If to some listeners his approach sounds vulgar or "too big," most will appreciate that Jarvi's approach - small players, stereophonically placed violins, hard mallets for the timpani, and quick tempos - are exactly what Beethoven's music requires. I once heard a critic remark that Beethoven's music was "too big" for his orchestrations, that the bigness of the Eroica or the Fifth cannot be matched by any orchestra. I am reminded of that when listening to Jarvi's Beethoven. His energy, his passion, not to mention his innate musicality, create performances that sound ready to burst at the seems with untamed musical fervor. And while the finale of the Fifth, with its heavy bass line supported by an ever-present contrabassoon, three trombones, and wild string writing may be "too big" for any orchestra to really play perfectly, Jarvi has struck an ideal balance. I cannot recommend this release more highly.

Okay, admittedly I haven't heard a lot of recordings of the Beethoven symphonies, but I've heard a few and this is hands down my favorite. The pace, the performances, the recording are all as good as I could ask. If you want a sense of the artistic aspects of this recording, listen to the samples. Interestingly, even my best friend, who likes classic music but isn't a fan of Beethoven symphonies, likes these.

I've only listened to the 5.0 SACD mix, but it's fabulous. The orchestra feels the right distance away, close, but not in my lap. The surrounds add just the right amount of ambience. All in all, no complaints, and at a great price! Five stars without reservation.

Since this part of a full cycle, I'll add that all of my comments apply to the other releases in the cycle, other than the 9th. I haven't bought that yet since it's almost three times the price of the others. ;-)

Paavo Jarvi, oldest son of Neemi Jarvi, is one of the finest conductors of his generation, which includes Osmo Vanska, among others. They now both have complete sets of the Beethoven Symphonies, both very interesting and compelling.

I wanted to review this performance of the Fifth Symphony about a year ago when I first heard it on
the radio a few times because it's one of the best Fifths I've heard, but now that I've finally gotten the disc, I can say that the performance of the First Symphony included here is also one of the very best of that work I've ever heard. Better than almost any other I've heard, this performance of Beethoven's C Major Symphony presents us with a very clear idea of what it was like to hear this work for the first time and why it was so popular from the first. It really does sound like a close cousin to one of Haydn's symphonies, while being totally new in many ways. The contrast in tempo from the Adagio Molto introduction to the Allegro of the first movement itself is somehow more convincing than in almost any other recording; the mere sound of the excellent German band is part of the effect--even though they play standard modern instruments, you might think they play on period instruments if you hadn't been told. The intonation alone is so good that you conclude this is an ensemble of virtuosos. I've seldom heard such a beautiful sound for any Beethoven symphony, while the essential Beethoven punch is there to just the right degree; Paavo Jarvi measures every measure wonderfully well while he still tears into each ff tutti with the perfect amount of expected fury.

The reading of the Fifth is equally effective, with all the inner parts exposed in a completely natual and balanced way; I particularly like the way the piccolo is easily heard as part of the general uproar in the coda of the finale; it doesn't stick out too much, but is naturally where it should be so we can really hear it along with the excellent tympini and everyone else. I think the very narural SACD sound is a big part of this.

The BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE gave this disc of the Fifth and First Symphonies as well as its sister disc of the Sixth and Second Symphonies of Beethoven highest marks, so that the entire set has now entered the list of the best available, which includes those of Abbado in Berlin, Rattle in Vienna, Zinman in Switzerland, Norrington in Stuttgart, Vanska in Minnesota, and Gardiner in London. I haven't mentioned any other of the great recording available (almost too many to mention) because the ones above are all informed by the latest scholarship in examining Beethoven's scores and taking his metronome markings seriously.

I'm writing this same review for the first four discs in this B9 collection by Jarvi (Symphonies one through eight). I have other comments for the nineth.

These performances are as breathtaking and beautiful as I can imagine. The clarity, the discipline, the passion are unmatched. As for the quality of the recordings, if you have good equipment, it literally puts you in the best seat in the house. The crispness, the balance, the dynamic range are all as good as it gets. There are instruments played that I actually never heard before in any other recording of "the nine". No Beethoven lover should be without these recordings!