Beethoven: The 9 Symphonies / (5) Overtures, Opp. 43;62;72b,c;84 [Box set, Import]

Ludwig van Beethoven (Composer), Leonard Bernstein (Conductor), Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra), Rene Kollo (Performer), Gwyneth Jones (Performer), Hanna Schwarz (Performer), Kurt Moll (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Rene Kollo, Gwyneth Jones, Hanna Schwarz, Kurt Moll
• Orchestra: Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
• Conductor: Leonard Bernstein
• Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 6
• Format: Box set, Import
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Deutsche Grammophon
• ASIN: B000001G98
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #291,871 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best sets around, October 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Beethoven: The 9 Symphonies / (5) Overtures, Opp. 43;62;72b,c;84 (Audio CD)

This is Bernstein in his prime conducting the greatest symphonies ever composed, with the world's greatest symphony orchestra, the VPO. Bernstein never failed to put his individual stamp on interpretations, and these recordings are no exception. I like the "live" feel of the recordings, with numbers 3,6,7, and 9 particularly good. If you live in the U.S. the only way to purchase nos. 1,2,4,7, and 8 is in this set. You currently cannot purchase them individually (unless you order it from overseas). Number 7 is one of the best ever recorded in my opinion, and number 9 is the best of Bernstein's three versions available. The only letdown was number 5, which is quirky. On the whole a great set.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bernstein, Beethoven and the Vienna Philharmonic : Great Set, August 25, 2001

By 

John Kwok (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Beethoven: The 9 Symphonies / (5) Overtures, Opp. 43;62;72b,c;84 (Audio CD)

Leonard Bernstein and the Vienna Philharmonic enjoyed a great musical partnership which spanned nearly two and a half decades. Bernstein's excellent Beethoven symphony cycle was one of the finest recordings he did for Deutsche Grammophon. Admittedly the sound quality isn't as refined as a studio recording, but these are very good to exceptional performances of Beethoven's symphonies. The only major disappointment is his reading of the 5th symphony, which isn't nearly as inspiring as Bohm's - or especially Kleiber's - with the Vienna Philharmonic. His splendid reading of the 3rd Symphony is far more elegant than any I have heard from Karajan. Other great performances include those of the 1st, 2nd, 6th and 9th symphonies. The two finest performances are of the 7th and 8th symphonies, with Bernstein's riveting account of the 7th almost as fine as Kleiber's. Unfortunately, Deutsche Grammophon's inadequate placing of recording microphones resulted in less than optimal sound quality; for example one can not easily distinguish between the woodwind and string sections in the Vienna Philharmonic's performance of the 3rd symphony. Yet despite these flaws I have found Bernstein's Vienna Philharmonic Beethoven symphony cycle as enjoyable as Bohm's and far superior to any I have heard from Karajan.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Far short of bernstein's best Beethoven, which was in NY, September 10, 2005

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Santa Fe Listener (Santa Fe, NM USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Beethoven: The 9 Symphonies / (5) Overtures, Opp. 43;62;72b,c;84 (Audio CD)

Bernstein in New York was the essence of "American" Beethoven: dynamic, extroverted, heedless of Germanic conventions, totally displaced from the long line leading from Nikisch to Furtwangler and Klemperer. In Vienna he lost his American perspective, but the one he gained wasn't better. The Viena Phil play wonderfully, as always, but this is their composer, not Bernstein's. In general the readings are much more fleet and small-scalled than in NY, and although nothing is wrong exactly, not a single performance, to my mind, is better than what he did before--the sound is certainly no great shakes, being dry and uninvolving. Bernstein shouldn't have tried to compete on hallowed gorund, not in Beethoven, at least. His Fidelio from Vienna is the one exception, but these readings aren't.