Customer Reviews

Beethoven: 9 Symphonies - Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique / Gardiner

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I have never heard Beethoven played with such verve and excitement. While the Karajan and Furtwangler Beethoven symphonies are majestic and stately, like a top-of-the-line Mercedes Benz, Gardiner's purrs, roars and sings like a Porsche.

The Third simply rocks. It's as if Gardiner re-interpreted the young Beethoven as the enfant terrible his contemporaries took him for. The fifth, particularly in the transition from the third to fourth movements, conrtains everything anyone needs to know about music.

Gardiner finds awe in thr Pastoral, mischievous humour in the seventh. And the ninth, shorn of a century of German romantic bombast, sounds like the revolutionary anthem Beethoven likely intended.

The problem with Beethoven symphonies, though, is that you have to listen to several interpretations to really appreciate the transcendent Genius of Beethoven.

Get this one. Byut get Furtwangler's and Karajan's first set as well.

The many recorded cycles of Beethoven symphonies have been reckoning up by dozens, like Sir Joseph's female relations, but I feel the fondest of this entire cycle among the historically-informed versions. Sir John Eliot Gardiner and his period-instrument forces have brushed these works clean of cobwebs, such that they sound fresh, clean and in line with what Beethoven would have wanted us to experience. To be sure, some listeners who favour the anodyne Karajanesque or Furtwangleresque approach applied to these works would be upset with the fast speeds, but these readings hardly sound wooden and mechanical. Rather, open-hearted listeners can find that Sir John shapes the music and allows articulate detail to mingle with the emotions in these works, helped by DG's transparent and luminous 4-D audio recording.

Throughout this cycle, Sir John brings out the "bloodthirsty beauty" of Beethoven's symphonies, keeping us on the edge with the well-articulated and heartfelt interpretations of the major symphonies. Yet there is still Mozartian-like charm in the early symphonies, especially the First and Second. In the longer symphonies Sir John's classical approach still allows us to feel Beethoven's emotions, and the nuances of the music are keenly and cleanly fleshed out. You can feel the Olympian power of the Eroica in a relentless and fierry performance, and the relentless drive of the Fifth that can well resonate with human conditions. The rhythmically-driven renditions of the 7th and 8th bring out the bucolic charm and character of the piece. The brisk speeds of the Pastoral don't sound rushed, but still allow for a warmly affable, cheerful and open-hearted reading that sounds welcoming of the open countryside that so influenced this music, aided by keen and detailed woodwind playing. And then there is the monumental Ninth, the crowning achievement in this wonderful cycle with new delights to explore. It's true that this approach to this music is iconoclastic to the established grandiose way of performing this music, but this version is the most successful in integrating an emotional approach to the music with a keen sense of accuracy. The finale truly sounds like an affirmation of joy that binds us all humans, and the bucolic Scherzo has a natural spring to it, similar to what many modern performances would capture. It's true that the first and third movements are twice as fast as we are used to, but we can feel that these performances successfully integrate structure and feeling to depict the Titanic struggle that Beethoven wanted this music to portray. But this is still a keen crowning achievement to this fresh and cohesive cycle of Beethoven symphonies.

In short, I feel compelled to count this historically-informed cycle of unexpurgated Beethoven a cycle that should eventually suit all tastes. Although some older-generation listeners would recommend springing for Karajan's box, this cycle allows for a cleaner approach to the music that benefits Beethoven and ourselves. Maybe in time this historically informed cycle will allow more people to discover the bloodthirsty beauty in Beethoven's music, but its great merit is that it successfully infuses the cerreberal (scholarly) approach with the anodyne approach, and gives new life to these well-worn works.

If you've already got favorite versions of Beethoven's symphonies, Gardiner may not convert you, but he gives you plenty to think about with these very interesting alternative performances. With all the scholarship and hard work that went into this cycle, perhaps this version IS closer to what Beethoven intended (though who can say for sure?), but a happy surprise is the verve and brio of these 'period' performances. It used to be that so-called 'period instrument' versions of classical music came off sounding bloodless and dessicated. Not so here! Partly this is due to the rethinking of the tempi involved; this is the FASTEST set of Beethoven symphonies that you're ever likely come across. But the musicianship is both gutsy and sensitive---just top-notch throughout. While I must admit, these will probably never be my favorite versions of the Third, Fifth, or Seventh, I can live very happily with the First, Second, Fourth, and Eighth here. But this entire cycle should be heard several times by any Beethoven fan, and the CD of commentary by Gardiner is fascinating and illuminating (and persuasive). The sound quality is great, too. Well worth the price.

I tend to agree with a lot of points mentioned by the previous reviewers but I don't find this work to be as despicable as they make it seem. Traditionalist revisionism is always a tricky thing in classical music composition drawing a lot of opinions from various points of view. There are certainly defects to these performances and interpretations, but, compared to a lot of other work out there it's certainly not average or the worst. I don't regret having purchased this set despite its deficiencies.

Beethoven was alive during the times of the French Revolution and Napoleon and was an ardent republican in Austria under the Hapsburg court. Many of his symphonies incorporate his ideals of revolutionary change. A disproportionate majority of the performances for these symphonies, particularly older conductors, completely misinterpret Beethoven's intention. A perfect example of this is in the march for the last movement of the 9th Symphony. If you listen to any of Karajan's, Solti's, or even Bernstein's interpretation it sounds like a damn funeral procession. The march in the piece is a revolutionary military march that is meant to proceed at a fast pace. In terms of military marches, the other interpretations are too slow even for a funeral. The only thing that keeps me from falling asleep when listening to them is the volume which is overbearing: I can barely recognize a single section in that Mahleresque cacophony. It's just symphonic overkill for these pieces. So loud Beethoven would have probably said 'Turn it down it's too loud!' in his deaf old age. Gardiner's symphony could use a little more volume but the traditional instruments don't permit that. As for the performances, there are some minor problems with various sections in the different symphonies but I didn't find them overly significant. The best part for me is particularly Gardiner's reinterpretation of the meter which gives one a far greater sense of impending change in pieces such as his 3rd, 5th, and 9th. Also, compared to the older conductors I've mentioned, you're not going to feel like you're in a coma when you listen to the 7th Symphony or that Winter has come instead of Spring in his 6th. Gardiner's orchestra is also smaller wich diminishes the volume but having a modern orchestra of 300+ members is simply overkill for such pieces and the results are worst in muffling the strings than Gardiner's lack of punch with traditional strings and orchestra size.

I think Gardiner's interpretations are just fine despite their defects as many of its other contenders have problems of their own which, in my opinion, are worst than those of Gardiner's. At least you won't feel like you're at a funeral and that the whole attending party is going to die along with the deceased so morbidly slow are those old school performances. I'm going to rate all the presently great performances for these works with four stars until a truly great one comes along to deserve five. Choosing the best among different performances here is then really a question of taste as they all have problems in one way or another. Of the older generation I tend to prefer Toscanini's interpretations above those of Solti or Karajan.

By now the concept of period perfomance is no longer new. Everyone interested in classical music knows the potential pluses and minuses. Period performances are typically lighter, faster and more transparent, but can sometimes seem academic and flat compared to the best "old school" performances. I've always believed in the potential for period performances and I kept my eyes open for the Beethoven symphony cycle that would finally do it form me. This one is it!

The Beethoven symphonies have always been problematic for me. I deeply appreciate and love listening to the smaller scale music, such as the piano sonatas and string quartets, but I've always been put off to some degree by the symphonies. Although I've been able to connect with isolated movements, such as the first two of the 9th, and the slow movement of the 7th, the symphonies as a whole have often struck me as ponderous and even bombastic in some performances.

I was always puzzled by how I could connect so easily with the piano sonatas and string quartets, but be left so cold by the symphonies. With the advent of period performances a few years back I began to see a glimmer of hope. The ponderousness and bombast were largely gone, but the performances just didn't connect.

I'm happy to say that Gardiner's cycle is the one I've been waiting for. There's a clarity, rawness, and life to these performances that is really enjoyable. And the tempo is a revelation. As stated in some other reviews here, the effect of the faster tempo is not at all one of rushing. It brings life and vitality to these pieces. For example, the slow movement of the 9th is a joy to listen to. There are sections of this movement that take on a dizzying effect as the strings play a jig-like tune above the rest of the orchestra. I can now see the connection between this music and the trancendantly beautiful late string quartets that Beethoven composed at around the same time.

For me, this cycle is a revelation that finally enables me to enjoy the symphonies, and see them as of-a-piece with the rest of Beethoven's music.

I really can't say enough! If you're new to Beethoven's symphonies, of if you purchased some of the old-school cycles and they're just sitting on your shelf, give this set a try!

Among my 5 beethoven cycles, this is my favorite. The crisp, forceful sound, driving, energetic tempi really get me off my chair :) I have about 90% of all Gardiner CDs, subsequently bought after getting the Beethoven. When I first heard the Eroica with the Vienna Philharmonic under Giulini in concert, I almost fell asleep due to the slooooooow tempi...what a revelation when I got the Gardiner Pack! The Monteverdi Choir is fabulous as always, I've heard them live as well, they just blow me away :) Gardiner is always good for a surprise and at all times lively.

Wir betreten feuertrunken, indeed. There is no word more apt to describe this cycle than "fire:" the pace, particularly in the more traditionally slower movements, is relentless; needless to say, I felt rather disoriented at first - almost dissatisfied - but the dynamic sensitivity and timbre of these interpretations more than surmounts this "shortcoming."

The 9th Symphony, for example, whirls by: the funeral march at the end of Movement One is brisk but properly solemn; the Turkish march and double fugue in the finale are blazing but at once clean and passionate. There are two particular moments that very nearly justify the formidable price tag by themselves alone: first, the addition of "rediscovered" notes in the Fourth Movement of No. 9 turn the opening phrase, in a way that other recordings never seem to, into a right proper "schreckensfanfare," as Wagner called it. The dissonance is unsettling but glorious. Second (and it may seem a trifle), the novel (to our modern ears) sound of the hide tympani is a grand and raucous bedlam, most especially in the transition between Track 5 and 6 on the last CD.

I have hardly drunk deeply enough at the fount of the Maestro to make any particularly well-educated comments, but I knows what I likes - and I likes this.

This recording is an absolute gem in my collection. It is a period instrument performance, based on extensive research of Beethoven's grand intentions and design. From Mozart-like 1st to the grandiose 9th, the music is alive with passion and power. The use of period instruments enabled the ensemble to recreate the original, swifter tempi as well as to maintain pianissimos that can actually be heard without turning the volume up, which is often the case with modern instrument recodings of Beethoven. Gardiner managed to accomplish something that many who have recorded Beethoven's complete cycles have failed: each symphony stands out for its own unique beauty and power without sounding like "a part of the set."
I highly recommend this recording.

About the 6th: Karajan's recording makes me cry (at the sheer beauty of the beginning of the opening movement) and then peacefully sleep. There is nothing wrong with this. I think it's fantastic. Gardiner's recording makes me smile (at the airy delight of the opening movement), then want to dance around. This is a compelling, invigorating interpretation. It really holds the attention. Good for young people and people with short attention spans like me. I see the 6th better than I have before, especially the later movements, because my attention doesn't wander off and I don't drift off to sleep. A fool's review, perhaps, but maybe you or someone you love is also a fool and could benefit from this collection.

"Period instruments" is a label guaranteed to make many people cringe. We have all come across painfully bungled performances that place emphasis on "authenticity" above all else --- including musical competence.
Many people have also never been able to appreciate what the Beethoven symphonies have been able to offer, what with many modern renditions sounding so leaden and soggy.
Is this ever the set to listen to then! Period instruments with performances that sound wonderful, making Beethoven sound like it hasn't in almost 200 years. From beginning to end it is a treat.
Even the Sixth Symphony, which has always been my least favorite, gets a bracing and invigorating workout. If anybody thinks that modern instruments work better, listen to the 4th movement of the Second Symphony. In most recordings, it has always sounded like an incoherent mess to me, but not here, even though it is played at an even faster tempo than we as listeners are used to. Listen to the 2nd movement of the Ninth Symphony, and hear the great counterpoint that simply gets buried when played by modern instruments. Nothing else will seem quite as good afterwards.
I was a little doubtful that I would enjoy the 2nd movement of the Seventh Symphony, which is so often given such a slow tempo in modern performances. The brisk rendition in this recording is worlds apart from what we are used to, but it makes sense. It does not feel rushed at all.
Listen, discover, and enjoy.