Customer Reviews

Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 - Eroica / Schubert: Symphony No. 8 - Unfinished,d.759

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

 

 

The Amazon reviewer overstates the case, but I must admit I've waited a long time before buying Beethoven from James Levine. He has campaigned successfully to get the Met opera orchestra recognized as a symphony orchestra, using four concerts a year in Carnegie Hall as a vehicle. But there's lots of great Beethoven and Schubert to compete with--what does Levine offer?

First, he anticipated the movement toward swift, steady tempos for Beethoven, and the lean orchestra sound he got in 1993--nicely caught by DG's clear, truthful sonics--predates Abbado and Rattle in their new Beethoven cycles. Harnoncourt is the most aggressive conductor in this style, but Levine is pretty lean and muscular, too: he doesn't pause for expression, and the opening chords of the Eroica are slashing. Every movement is played for high energy; the climaxes at the end of the first and last movement are thrilling.

Schubert usually calls for more tenderness and inward reflection. But Levine sees Schubert in the light of Beethoven, and his "Unfinished" begins with a true Beethoven allegro and never slows down. Yet he isn't fierce or punchy a la Carlos Kleiber. The second movement andante, which is very beautifully played in every respect, shows considerable contrast in mood but not tempo: it's on the fast side, with thrilling climaxes and tender solos from the excellent Met winds.

Altogether, these are very good performances in excellent sound, much like updated Szell (who was Levine's mentor in Cleveland). I thoroughly enjoyed them, particularly in terms of orchestral richness, but one finds more style in Furtwangler, Toscanini, Klemperer, Bernstein, Karajan, etc. It's a hard field to be nearly great in.

I bought this recording a few years back, mainly because I wanted a recording of the Schubert 8th. Not only do I like the way the Schubert 8th is played here, but I absolutely love the performance of the Beethoven 3rd, a symphony I had not previously heard. Even though I have NOT heard other recordings of either of these symphonies since I bought this one, I was impressed with the tempos, especially on the 3rd. Some take the first movement of the 3rd WAY TOO SLOW, as I have read that Sir Georg Solti did, but Levine's tempo truly makes this movement sound like a musical celebration of a world leader that Beethoven admired at the time of its composition, Napoleon. Both symphonies are well balanced in my opinion, and Levine makes them both pleasing to the ear (at least to my ear). There may be other recordings of these symphonies out there that are better for you, it all depends on your taste. Shop around, but do not ignore this recording (even though it appears to be out of print, but used copies are out there). It is not "a waste", as Mr. Hurwitz puts it.

An album this beautifully played and this compelling deserves serious consideration, even if these are not the most memorable versions of these symphonies that I ever have heard. There is no gainsaying the execution of the Eroica by the Met Orchestra. It is virtually in the same league orchestrally as the great traversals by Karajan and Toscanini. Where it does not equal the work of those two maestros is in insight. The 1st, 3rd, and 4th movements are generally very appealing as interpretations, even if they (particularly the 4th) are slightly anonymous. Where the interpretation really falls down is in the Funeral March. Levine seems to view it as one long legato phrase. Over and over, opportunities for dramatic expression are smudged in the concern for beauty of tone. Karajan uses beauty of tone as an adjunct to felicity of expression. Levine pursues beauty of tone for its own sake. I don't want to sound petty. Any interpretation played this well has to be a major statement of the music. I just don't think that Levine lives up to his potential here. The Unfinished is another case entirely. It is a searingly dramatic performance, with a wide dynamic range and savage sounding strings. If you are looking for the cushy sort of Schubertian string ethos one finds, say, in the Bruno Walter/N.Y. Philharmonic rendition, you won't find it here. There is a Vienna Philharmonic way of performing this music that is completely alien to the playing here of the Met Orchestra. In sum, this is a thought provoking and highly accomplished CD that unfortunately is not all it could be.

I thought that this disc was a wonderful interpretation of Beethoven's 3rd. From the start, with the two "jolting" notes you can sense that this is a wonderful recording. A fine performance of the peice that changed symphonic works forever.

Schubert's "unifinished" is done with wonderful tempo ( a welcomed change from the slow "boring" intro that most disks offer). James Levine could not have done any better.

Searing virtuoso performances from Maestro Levine and the Met in excellent sound. While not overburdened with personality, they make up for it with a great deal of conviction. The Beethoven 3rd is quite willful, but what could be more appropriate? The Schubert is disturbingly intense. More excitement from an underrated conductor.

This is the only studio recording of a Beethoven symphony I've been able to track down by James Levine, so it's worth noting even it's not exactly special. Levine takes a very modern approach to how this music should sound. One reviewer mentioned George Szell and I agree. Levine sounds like Szell but even faster and with more punch. Is that enough to stand out in a field littered with great "Eroicas"? Not really. The first movement runs it's engines swiftly with exposition repeat observed. The funeral march isn't particularly tragic or grim. We are not asked to feel deeply. The scherzo is fleet. The finale is also speedy and has some thrilling climaxes. But it all sounds kind of superficial or as someone else noted, "anonymous", next to the many great Eroicas that are all punctuated with more character and more involvement from their conductors. Levine sets a tempo, sticks to it and is fairly hands off for the most part.

Great Eroicas include any of the Karajan versions, my favorite being the digital Gold. Bernstein with the NYPO, Klemperer on EMI, Furtwangler on Music and Arts. For something more modern, I enjoyed Harnoncourt with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. Is Levine superior to Szell on Sony? I don't think so. Szell gives the music more room to breathe along with his cutting edge precision. Levine is still far more enjoyable to listen to than many so called major conductors like Abbado or Rattle in this music.

As for the Schubert "Unfinished"... Levine goes forward with the exact same battle plan, seemingly not taking into account that Schubert's sound world is strikingly individual and very different from Beethoven's. It's not very heartfelt or romantic Schubert, it's rather clinical. I would point listeners in the direction of Furtwangler for that heartfelt approach but I also enjoy Reiner on RCA and Kleiber on DG. I do like both warmth and edge in this music and I think these recommendations are far superior to Levine.

I wouldn't mind hearing more symphonic Beethoven from Levine from this era, especially a 9th but this was all he was able to record in this repertoire for DG. He did do a Schubert 9th for DG around the same time and it's more successful than the Schubert 8th we're hearing on this CD. For some truly splendid Beethoven from James Levine, search out for his Missa Solemnis on DG, one of the best of modern times.

This CD is jam packed with emotion. The recording of Beethoven's Third is one of the best I have heard in recent times. The clarity and sonority of the orchestra and Levine's interpretation combine for an experience that should not be passed up. Schubert's Unfinished Symphony is one of my personal favorite symphonies and this recording does not let me down one bit!

I would have expected more from Hurwitz. Just because there are many other recordings of the same symphonies isn't enough to justify criticizing new ones. By the way, this Disc received a top rating for EACH piece in the Penguin Guide...

The recordings of Beethoven's symphonies are either fast or slow, and many conductors seemed to show its character just by it's conducting. This performance of the revolutionary Eroica Symphony (No. 3) with the MET Orchestra under Maestro James Levine is among my favorite. I prefer the more fast-paced tempo in the first movement; it alerts me more and doesn't seem to sound too Romantic - contrary to such like the clumsy Otto Klemper's, the more mellow and calm Carlo Maria Guilini's, and the DG Lenny's (and good thing the tempo didn't actually SLOW DOWN, as in George Szell's recording; that was a major disappointment... another concern was the repeat of the exposition which one of Karjan's recording was devoid). Same goes with the third movment. The fast, nailbiting tempo is much more demanding. More "jokeful"; after all, scherzo literally means "joke".

As for the more profound Unfinished Symphony by Schubert, I don't have much to say, but it is overall a nice, performance. Not too clumsy.

This is a very exciting performance of the Eroica but the recorded sound is strange. Beethoven's Eroica has some very significant horn parts throughout. The coda of the first movement has the horns singing the main theme. In most recordings they sound big and beautiful but not here. They are barely audible, they blend with the orchestra too much. In the concert hall, I am sure you could hear their gorgeous sound quite well but the DG engineers simply blew it. The Bernstein/NY Phil. performance is very similar to this one but with much better sound, even though it was recorded about 40 years ago. The Schubert Unfinished is somewhat routine, it allows DG to offer its customers plenty of music but a rarely played Haydn symphony would make this CD much more enticing.