Customer Reviews

Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 [Hybrid SACD]

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A powerfully played and recorded account, with a similar interpretative approach to the earlier SACDs in the series. The total timing is under 66 minutes, the Adagio comes in at 13'26, which should give some indication that this isn't a performance that will necessarily appeal to devotees of, say, Furtwangler's 1954 Lucerne Festival performance with the Philharmonia.

I say 'necessarily' as I like both performances very much, despite the differences. The first movement and scherzo here are urgently played with great impetus, not quite with the same emphasis on grandeur as one might find with older fine accounts from Karajan, Fricsay and Boehm. The phrasing is less smooth (string playing often with more aggression than normal), the tempi quicker but the whole seems to relate the work firmly with the other symphonies rather than treating it as a separate interpretative entity to be blasted out in a totally different way - here it all sounds wholly Beethovenian.

Such is the detail of the excellent recording (I listened in stereo via a Stax earspeaker system; the multichannel layer is 5.0) that instrumental lines appear clearer than in any other recording I know, though I listened at a slightly higher than normal level. The acoustic is perfect as well and this must be well up to the standards of this cycle and BIS in general.

The slow movement is not the quickest recorded by a long way and the movement's spirit (as we would normally understand it) is maintained - but occasionally one wonders if one is listening to an Andante rather than an Adagio. Still I felt this was true to the composer's intentions and sounds even more authentic than some other HIP versions.

The Finale opens superbly with great intensity and sweep, and there's a great bass recitative - though I felt the tenor soloist was slightly small scale. Similarly after a fine 'fife and drums' episode the 'pursuit' orchestral tutti which follows didn't quite take off as I thought (and hoped) it would. Other performances like Karajan in 1961 really do make the spine tingle here. But these are the only flaws as the Minnesota Chorale sing superbly as do the female soloists.

Apart from the slight caveats about the finale I recommend this, even if you're not collecting Vanska's cycle - it probably won't replace your favourite Choral Symphony recording but it does offer something genuinely new and convincing in Beethoven interpretation - which these days is not easy.

To put it as briefly as possible, this is the most impressive performance/recording of Beethoven's Ninth it has ever been my privilege to hear.

The precision of the orchestra beggars belief, the transparency of the recording (not to mention its staggering dynamic range) reveals instrumental lines that are seldom heard without obvious "point making" on the part of the conductor. Vanska doesn't create interest by idiosyncracy (though the fourth timpani "whack" in the scherzo is not played mezzo forte as is commonly heard; perhaps this is due to the edition of the score used). He simply plays the piece with enormous elan and thrust. The chorus, superbly recorded as it is, is right in the sound stage with us, not some distant, disembodied group of voices bringing up the rear. The vocalists in the last movement are excellent to boot.

There are many great recordings of this piece. Every music lover will have his or her favorites. Mine include the old Bruno Walter Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra of New York recording from 1949 - 1953 as well as at least one Karajan, the recent Abbado with Berlin, the Norrington for its bizarre but exciting view of the piece, and several others. They each bring this glorious music to life in a different way. But I would be amazed if any listener hearing the Vanska for the first time could remain unmoved.

Truly a great and revelatory recording, worthy of any library.

Osmo Vanska's new 9th Symphony with the Minnesota Orchestra is taut and full of electricity from beginning to end. True, its effect is not as grand as Furtwangler's in 1951 at Bayreuth) (see my review). But it doesn't aspire to that standard and fail, it aims for something different. And succeeds, marvelously!

For me, the 1996 Abbado/BPO performance, remastered in 2004) (see my review) is a good point of comparison. Abbado's "Molte vivace - Presto" has a swinging dance rhythm, while Vanska's faster pace has a march tempo, very German. Vanska takes the slow movement slightly slower than Abbado. It is the final choral movement where Vanska really makes his mark -- what energy! This is the most exciting finale I've heard since Furtwangler 1951. The vocals are clipped, but reach up to the skies with a very German-sounding sort of ecstasy. Fantastic!

See my POST-HEROIC (HIPster) BEETHOVEN SYMPHONIES and HEROIC (OLD SCHOOL) BEETHOVEN SYMPHONIES lists for more recommendations and reviews.

(verified purchase from ArkivMusic)

This is definitely an intriguing recording of Beethoven's final symphony. There are many strengths here, the dynamic range is wide and there are many details which are heard due to the transparency of the recording. Every movement has novelties and Vanska's overall vision is coherent and consistent. The solo and choral singing are outstanding, and the orchestral ensemble is meticulate.

However, I cannot escape the feeling that something is missing here. While some details are heard fresh, others are not heard at all. Pardon me for saying so, but the whole thing feels somewhat lightweight. Even when compared to Norrington, Harnoncourt, Gardiner, or Zinman this feels affected and over-analyzed. There is no doubt it is interesting, but I don't find it ultimately satisfying, say in the way Karajan, Wand, Sinopoli, or Abbado feel.

I was a little disappointed and I guess my expectations may have been too high. While it is certainly worth hearing, and technically impressive, it does not seem authoritative in any sense.

Perhaps not the ultimate in style, but drop dead stunning sound. Kudos to the recording eng. at BIS! This series far makes up for a non Karajan approach with super detailed sound. This is SACD demo quality!

If a single SACD disk could justify the entire expense of a high end playback system, this BIS offering is it. If a single night at an orchestra could justify the cost of air fare to a cold and distant city, the Minnesota Orchestra under Osmo Vanska...performing Beethoven's 9th in their current world class state...would be the one. This is not to say that there aren't other fine interpretations of this work...or that there aren't other fine orchestras about the planet. It's just that this orchestra playing this music at this point in history is an amazing and sublime bit of serendipity (not to mention hard work). The pacing and intensity of this performance is unique unto itself (as are all interpretations of a score). One can compare and contrast it to others, but one should also simply enjoy it for what it is: genius in service of genius. The playing is at once articulate and gentle, powerful and fiery.
The shimmering vocals are precisely localized and, properly reproduced, cut to the core of one's soul. The BIS mix sets a new standard for technical excellence. The incredible depth and transparency of this recording is limited only by the accuracy and power of one's playback system. Recorded music simply doesn't get any better than this.

It is not easy to make a splash recording a work widely considered the greatest symphony in history and consequently available in a blizzard of different performances. Vanska does with this marvelous recording.

People looking for the Furtwangler approach might want to look elsewhere. Think of this work as if it was conducted by Charles Mackerras. It exhibits the scholarly approach made famous by Gardiner and others with brisk tempos and tight structure. It is, however, played by a modern orchestra with all of the extra power that implies. The playing is splendid - it brings to mind the "machine like" performances Solti often got from the Chicago. The BIS SACD sound is simply jaw-dropping. You will hear detail that you had not before if your hardware is up to it. This is particularly true in the choral movement which Vanska approaches with a sense of high drama. This work must be heard if one likes Beethoven.

This is not the Ninth you want if you believe, as I do, that the essence of the work should instill the emotions of joy and passion in the listener. Browning wrote, "Man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?" and the chorale finale here should echo that very sense of élan that Schiller's Ode To Joy promises. But it doesn't -- at least not for me.

Vanska chooses the contemporary view of increasing tempo throughout this performance, and it is, in several ways, conducted much like David Zinman's spirited performance with the Tonhalle players. And like Zinman, Vanska bases this on the mildly controversial Bärenreiter Urtext editions that employ the composer's revisions. But Vanska's isn't quite so convincing, especially when he arrives at the finale. Here, the choice of soloists, too, appears a bit lightweight, leaving the listener just a little unimpressed. Sound quality is excellent, revealing the engineers' thoughtful regard for the improvement one has from the SACD layer. The conventional CD layer is also quite good.

I haven't yet found the perfect Ninth on record, but my ideal would offer more intensity than here. Not recommended as one's introduction to this work.

I have just finished hearing the SACD and it left me cold. It is too fast and emotionally empty. The orchestral players play well, but nothing like the Vienna or Berlin orchestras. The chorus too sounded too thin and a little weird. The solists were also so overpowered by the music. Many times I heard that they were very strained.
As for the conducting, I found it accurate but cold. I know the comparison is absurd but cannot help it, but comparing to either the '51 or '54 Furtwängler recordings of this magnificent symphony (I find this symphony the greatest piece of symphonic music ever created and those recordings the greatest of all), or for that matter the great Rattle or Abbado recordings with Berlin or Vienna philharmonic orchestras, I cannot help ask myself where the heart and soul of the work is. The conducting was way too fast, especially in the fourth movement.
The sound on the SACD was nothing short of magnificent. The level of detail was so great that it was quite frustrating in light of the performance itself.

I am a classical neophyte. I can not comment on the performance of the musicians or conductor. I would like to listen and purchase more clasical music. I am seeking the preverbal top lists to not waste time and money.
I like the music;Beethoven, the 9th. The CD Engineering production seemed flat or dull right from the beginning. I own a collection of SACD and DVD-As in Jazz and Rock, and I can tell a difference in high resolution material. This just did not wow me in any sense. This recording had no emotion, or warmth. I hope the next choice will not be the same dull experience. So far, I do not understand how it is enjoyable to listen to such a great and constant change in decible or dynamic range...I know there must be a better word for this phenomenon. i.e... the orchestra is quiet, then builds to loud, then quiet again, then loud again....isnt this annoying to listen to? I get dynamic range, I just cant stand it when I have to strain to hear and then sudddenly shocked by the volume. Is this a normal thing in classical recordings? Please, if you know a specific recording on SACD or some other high resolution format, that will allow me to develop an appreciation, give me a taste of genius, please comment on the exact product you think is classical kick ass. Thank you.

2 stars, this SACD production is 'Beathoven".