Customer Reviews

Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major, Op. 55- Eroica / No. 8 in F Major, Op. 93

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3 star:		(1)
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While Szell's 3rd is very good, it isn't as good as some others I've heard (Klemperer comes to mind). His 8th, however, is simply the most outstanding recording of this symphony that I have ever heard.

The precision of Szell's orchestra has always been legendary and that reputation is fully evident in this recording. So too is the sense of excitement that Szell on a good day can bring to all of Beethoven's symphonies. Sometimes I think that Szell's true talent in Beethoven was to make great recordings of the even numbered symphonies. His second is my favorite second. His sixth is my favorite sixth.

His greatest attribute in this recording of the eighth symphony is his ability to build drama and to then release it several times in the course of a single movement. This results in a matchless sense of drive and energy. His first movement especially I cannot imagine bettered. That the playing is well balanced and strong throughout the different orchestral sections should not even need to be stated. It is the Cleveland Orchestra, after all. All of this combines to show us why Szell is one of the greatest interpreters of Beethoven-- he holds the form close to HIS heart and relies on Beethoven's genius to reach YOUR heart. Conductors who try to add emotion to Beethoven's symphonies, I find, only screw it all up, for the expression is inherent in the symphonies themselves. Szell, I think, understood this, as did the Cleveland orchestra.

SZELL AND THE CLEVELANDERS GIVE YOU A LEAN MEAN EROICA THAT GIVES FULL RESPECT TO THE COMPOSERS SCOPE. THIS ISN'T SZELL CONDUCTING SZELL IT'S SZELL CONDUCTING BEETHOVEN. TIGHT PRECISION OF ENSEMBLE DOMINATE THIS INTERPRETATION ALONG WITH A KEEN FEELING FOR THE MOOD OF EVERY MOVEMENT YET THERE IS NO EXAGGERTATION PRESENTED IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE THIS VISION. THE FIRST MOVEMENT FLOWS LIKE WATER WITH A DRIVING TEMPO THAT UNLEASHES THE MAJESTY AND THE DRAMA WITH AN ARTICULATE EASE. SZELL HAD TRAINED EVERY PART OF HIS ENSEMBLE TO BLEND IN WITH EACH OTHER SO THAT THERE WAS NO OVERPOWERING ASPECT AND EVERY VOICE COULD BE HEARD CLEARLY. I BELIEVE THIS WAS IMPORTANT BECAUSE OF SZELL'S OBSESSION WITH DETAIL AND THE IMPORTANCE TO PRESENT EVERY DETAIL FOR MAXIMUM IMPACT. SORROW AND FURY ARE DEEPLY FELT IN THE PLAYING OF THE CLEVELANDERS ALONG WITH A IRON WILLED CONCENTRATION IN THE FUNERAL MARCH THAT MAKES FOR COMPELLING RESULTS. THE SCHERZO IS FILLED WITH A JOLLY WIT AND DANCES WITH GLEE AT A SENSIBLE TEMPO. THE FINAL MOVEMENT FIRES OFF WITH A CRISP ATTACK THEN SZELL UNFOLDS THE CELEBRATION OF TRIUMPH WITH A CUTTING DISPLAY OF VIRTUOSO ORCHESTRAL COUNTERPOINT AND SHARPLY DEFINED SENTIMENT. SZELL WAS ARGUABLY THE GREATEST CONDUCTOR AND HEAR YOU HAVE A MEMENTO OF HIS ART AT SUCH A GENEROUS PRICE WITH A GLOWING PERFORMANCE OF BEETHOVEN'S 8TH. TO ME THAT SOUNDS LIKE A DEAL TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE. BUT IT IS. MAKE IT HAPPEN! CHEERS. O.F.

The 3rd symphony was at first a dedication to Beethoven's hero Napoleon until Beethoven found out that his hero had appointed himself emperor. Beethoven then proceeded to scratch out Napoleon's name from the score and thus we have the "Eroica." The heroic element is obvious here along with the power of individualism which is what Beethoven represented. Beethoven considered a free thinker to be a rare thing in a society where man was content to be led instead of being his own leader. Now the "Eroica" is an epic symphony that presents mans fierce battle for liberation that concludes with a jovial victory. The piece is divided into two parts. The 1st and 2nd movements reflect the struggle,courage,conflict, and tragedy that man must face. The 3rd and 4th movements reflect man's victory over his oppressors and the joyous celebration of release. Szell and his forces convey Beethoven's picture through a lens which has the widest scope resulting in a pristine lucid view that is devastating in its detail. This is Beethoven interpreted with an incredible sense of balance,precision,sparkle,and vigor. The 8th symphony was inspired by a remark made to Beethoven by Rossini. Rossini stated that he had the highest respect for Beethoven's art but he should try to lighten up... Thus you have the 8th symphony and a performance to match the "Eroica." Now lets see if this is a worthwhile purchase by stating the obvious... You have one of the greatest conductors in George Szell. You have an ensemble that is arguably the best ever. You get two incredible performances for a very modest price. MMMM...I think i'll give it a try!

Although there are hundreds of digital recordings of the Beethoven symphonies popping up all over the map, it's refreshing to see that people still look to the older masters for definitive recordings. George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra always, ALWAYS deliver fantastic performances. And they deliver quite a punch in this CD of Beethoven's eroica and 8th symphonies.

The eroica is a difficult to perform well. Its clearly a classical symphony, and must be treated as such. Still, the dramatic energy of the work belies its classical form. Thus, the conductor must balance the classical and romantic aspects of this work. Szell does a superb job handing the eroica. His tempos are swift and energetic. His climaxes are electrifying. His power is absolutely astounding. This is truly one of the best recordings of this symphony.

The eighth, although less emotionally captivating than the eroica, is still wonderfully performed by the orchestra. Szell gives an energetic, fascinating performance.

Although these analog recordings were made half a century ago, they stand up to any digital recording. Highly recommended.

This budget-level CD is a re-release of recordings made by Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra presumably in the 1960s. The recording of the "Eroica" symphony, which opens the CD, is a performance of mixed quality. The Funeral March second movement is marked "Adagio assai" but played here at a more up-tempo andante. The effect is peculiar, to say the least, nearly denying the funereal heart of the movement.

The other movements are performed here far more traditionally and are very effective. Szell achieves wonderful unison of attack among the strings in both staccato and legato passages, achieving a sound that can compare with the best European orchestra string ensembles in this repertoire (Vienna Philharmonic, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Concertgebouw). The horn section and woodwinds in particular also shine in the trio of the Scherzo.

The recording of the eighth symphony is actually the gem of this disk. Beethoven himself loved this work, and it achieved immediate popular success. It is a piece of joyous energy and never-ending happiness. Szell and the orchestra perform wonderfully, bringing out the comedic inner core of the piece while maintaining its melodrama.

This third symphony is wonderful. The orchestra plays SO tightly and crisply it is amazing. That said, I should tell you that on these Beethoven symphony recordings, that precision usually drives me up the wall. Violins in absolute lock step is just not necessary. Listen to the relaxed(yet still smooth)sound of the Vienna Phil with Karl Bohm for contrast--much better. But on this piece it is great. Extreme music, extreme playing style. Don't miss this.

It has been said that Szell's Eroica is in the Toscanini tradition. It certainly comes closer to the famous Toscanini broadcast of 1939 (the consensus seems to be that this is the best of the Toscanini recordings, even more so than his fine 1953 broadcast) than many others. Although Szell may lack a little bit of Toscanini's nervous intensity and abruptness of accent, he shares enough of these qualities to bring out the rhythmic drive and incisiveness of the music. Regarding the matter of accents, my feeling is that the nature of this music, and Beethoven orchestral music in general, requires sharp, forceful accenting. Otherwise the music will fall flat. For example, although Karajan's well known 1963 DG recording with the Berlin Philharmonic employs similar tempi to those of Szell, his consistent rounding off of accents (more appropriate for Bruckner) severely vitiates the music of its native rude force, thereby rendering it rather bland and boring.
On the other hand, this performance, while much more consistent in tempo than someone like Furtwangler, yet retains enough breath and flexibility of phrasing to avoid the metronomic rigidity that afflicts at least some of the original instrument recordings. His performance of the 8th shares the same qualities.
Although the sound, though clear and natural, is arguably a bit limited compared to more modern recordings, the price of this coupling is at the superbudget level (6-7 dollars), which makes it a superbargain for the musical rewards contained therein.

I am a great fan of George Szell. He was one of the greatest conductors to have worked in the US after the war, and his approach to music was poles apart from the thick, heavy and teutonic approach prevalent then in Europe: to the music he conducted he brought extraordinary muscle and snap, with chords cracking like whiplashes rather than like semi-trailers accelerating, great instrumental character, and always outstanding sonics.

But there is also something about Beethoven and his symphonies. They are so burdened (I am choosing that word on purpose) with a certain tradition, we have such an ingrained knowledge of how they OUGHT to sound - grand, majestic, powerful - that we don't even see anymore what's in the scores.

Period performers - I've found the cycle recorded by Roger Norrington particularly illuminating, Beethoven - Symphonies 1-9 · Overtures / London Classical Players · Sir Roger Norrington - have brought a radical change to our view and understanding of Beethoven's Symphonies, especially as regards tempos and instrumental balances - but they weren't the first. There was Toscanini of course: but conventional wisdom was that Toscanini conducted everything too fast. Scherchen in his cycle recorded for Westminster between 1951 and 1958 was a firebrand radical - and for that very reason, seen as an excentric. In 1961 René Leibowitz recorded a cycle with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, which usually remained short of Beethoven's brisk metronome marks but went a step in that direction, and the results were both wonderfully dynamic AND natural. But, maybe because it was circulated outside of the customary distribution channels (it was done for the Reader's Digest), it didn't get the recognition it deserved. It is not easy to shed off tradition.

Szell's 8th Symphony from 1962 is a good, traditional version: it is powerful in the outer movements, with much drama, snappy articulation and much instrumental character (Szell and his sound engineers always lavished great care in having glaring brass) but somewhat muddy basses in the first movement's climax. But it is also questionably slow it its choices of tempo. Not only because they are not the tempos indicated by Beethoven's metronome marks (whatever the numerous rationales given by those who did/do not want to observe them: that Beethoven was deaf, that he added these metronome marks years after the actual compositions (not true with the 9th), that his metronome was faulty, that he didn't know how to use it, that what you hear in your deafman's mind's ear is not what you can play in the concert hall, and what not; they will not erase the inescapable fact that those are the metronome marks Beethoven wrote). Second and more essential: once you've cleansed your ears of this given interpretive tradition, you realize that they simply work better: they result in a Beethoven that may be less majestic, but that's iresistibly dynamic, ebullient, youthful.

While Szell's second movement, "Allegretto scherzando", is suitably brisk, his first movement is within seconds of Barbirolli's (1958, Barbirolli: Music of Beethoven) and Bernstein's (1964, Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 6 "Pastoral" & 8; King Stephen Overture), and comes nowhere near the explosive exuberance of Leibowitz (Beethoven: Symphonies 6 & 8), and even less of Scherchen (1954, Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 6 "Pastorale" & Symphony No. 8) who's even faster. The same approach is even more in evidence in the finale, where Szell puts his steps in the traces of Weingartner with a tempo of circa 63 half-notes a minute rather than the 84 indicated by Beethoven. He fills the proceedings with enough power to pull it off and convey a sense of Beethovenian grandeur, but again you just need to go back to Leibowitz and Scherchen to hear how irresistible their explosive exuberance really is: not the massive, grand and stately but one that exults with joy. But where Szell is, in his own way, the most radical and questionable is in his, again, slow and massive third movement, to which he gives the character of a clumsy peasant dance with feet stuck in the mud, with glaring trumpet. Again Szell (like Walter, Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 3 "Eroica" & 8, and like Furtwängler, Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 6 & 8 ~ Furtwangler) is here radicalizing here a certain tradition - one that is very unkind and unfair to Viennese peasants in Beethoven's days who, if the composer's metronome is again to be trusted (quarter-note = 126, against Szell's of circa 98), were NOT clumsy and actually quite rambunctious!

Szell's 1958 Eroica is better. He takes the first movement rather briskly, although nowhere near Scherchen, Norrington and even Bernstein (which I have in its first CD release, Symphony 3 " Eroica ") and Leibowitz (Symphonies No. 1 & 3), but actually just a tad slower than Toscanini (in his "official" 1949 recording, Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3), who was always (and wrongly) viewed as "fast" here. But what Toscanini and Bernstein have here, that Szell misses, is the biting muscularity of accents, and power and intensity of the brass. With them, Beethoven is ebullient, explosive, teeming with energy and excitement. With Szell, he is more civilized - and I am tempted to say: less genuinely Beethovenian. Szell takes the funeral march at a moderate tempo (very close to Tocanini's and Bernstein's in fact) but his crisp bass and powerful accents invest it with suitable pathos, although his less biting and glaring brass fail to lend it the same high-octane drama as Toscanini. On the other hand he takes the scherzo faster, in fact, than Beethoven's metronome and consequently imparts it an uplifting ebullience. He launches in the finale with superb turbulence and his theme and variations develop with fine tautness and muscularity and a fire again reminiscent of Toscanini, although both are significantly slower than Beethoven's metronome here and, like everybody else before Norrington, Szell takes the traditional view (not to say that it isn't convincing in its own right) of the "poco andante" section starting at 6:18- e.g. slow, developing to a majestic and grandiose climax. His coda is exhilaratingly boisterous.

Ultimately, this is a Beethoven for those who don't like their Beethoven too radical - either way: Klemperer/Furtwängler or Scherchen/Norrington (and I DON'T find Toscanini here nearly as radical as his reputation). I am one to think that Beethoven not too radical isn't entirely Beethoven. Still Szell's Eroica would have been a truly excellent one had he given a little more snap to the accents in the first movement. Excellent sonics.

While it was the ninth symphony that became the work the Romantic age wrestled with for decades, it was the third symphony with which Beethoven broke with the past and announced himself a revolutionary. A great deal has been made of it being originally inspired by Napoleon or at least dedicated to him. Whatever the truth is, the name was crossed out and the name of the E-flat third symphony became Eroica (Italian for Heroic)

Written during it 1803 it was first performed for the Prince to whom it was dedicated, Franz Joseph von Lobkowitz who paid for the rights to perform it at his house for several years. When it was first rehearsed, things did not go well because the music seemed so strange and unlikely. The Prussian Prince, Louis Ferdinand, paid a visit to Prince Lobkowitz who had this strange work played for him. The Prussian listened with increasing intensity and asked for an immediate repetition. An hour later he asked for it to be performed for a third time.

Once people caught on to what the music was about it became a huge success and was performed throughout the composer's life, is on programs regularly, and recorded often. However, this recording by George Szell and the Cleveland Symphony is a classic and one many of us grew up listening to over and over again. It is powerful and clear and one you will want to hear many times even if you favor another recording more.

The eighth symphony is a masterpiece whose utter greatness is not fully appreciated by the general public. At its premiere in 1814, it followed the seventh symphony in A major (whose andante so affected the audience they demanded an immediate repetition). Expectations were high for this totally new and unheard eighth, but it did not cause the audience enough excitement after the seventh to demand a repetition. The newspaper review of the concert said the eighth would have been better placed before the seventh on the program. The reviewer also suggested that the eighth should not be paired with the seventh on a single program, but be performed on its own in order to achieve real success. To me, this seems good advice.

Still, this is a work of so many delights and such musical mastery that it deserves more attention than even lovers of Beethoven's symphonies usually accord it. There is humor, effervescence, and musical mastery to spare. The finale is exuberance and good humor personified. This recording by Szell is well balanced and gets at what the music is offering us very well.

Enjoy!

Szell had a reputation, somewhat deserved, of being "all head and no heart." This recording of Beethoven's Third belies that impression. To be sure, it is a rigorously intellectual account, as we would expect from this conductor, but Szell also manages to convey passionate involvement from the two opening chords onward. In one of his journals, meditating on his increasing deafness, Beethoven vows to "grab fate by the scruff of the neck." I hear something of that defiant resolve in Szell's "Eroica," particularly in the trenchant first movement and devastating Marcia Funebre. Throughout the Clevelanders cover themselves in glory--the horns in particular give a thrilling account of the Scherzo's trio and are much in evidence elsewhere (a big plus in my estimation). Also Szell is not shy about encouraging the timpanist to provide riveting emphasis at certain key structural moments. The Eighth is also very well done, though I prefer a bit more geniality in this most playful of Beethoven's symphonies. The sound in this particular remastering is crystal clear, like the preformances, though there remains a certain amount of tape hiss to remind us of the analogue era.

In my estimation, Szell's "Eroica" belongs at or near the top of the list. It is better recorded than any of Toscanini's versions (and better played!), lighter on its feet than Furtwängler, Karajan or Solti, more enlivening than Böhm, Klemperer, or Walter, saner than Scherchen (what a wild ride he gives us!)--to cite just a few of the more outstanding performances on record. I would not hesitate to recommend Szell's integral set of the Beethoven symphonies, either. It must rank as one of the top three or four sets available at any price.