Customer Reviews

Philips Recordings 1954-1958, Vol. 2 [Box Set]

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In this soul-sucking, stressed-out, maxed-out era in which we (who love great music) have the misfortune to live, the spirit of Eduard van Beinum stands out as a beacon through pea-soup fog. No Karajanian glitz or glossiness-for-its own-sake...Just substance and passion, encased within a "border" of wonderful discipline and refinement...

The EVB "Volume 1" (covering EVB's Deccas) had problems...Some Beethoven Overtures and the 1952 Haydn Variations and Tragic/Academic Overures were left out...The 1951 Brahms First transfer was harsh and high-end-brite...Of the Rosamund Incidental Music, only the Overture was included...The Schubert 4th, but not the 5th...The three Concertgebouw selections from A Midsummer Night's Dream, but not the more complete "suite" (including the Wedding March !) which EVB recorded with the London Philharmonic...The Bartok Concerto for Orchestra, but not Le Sacre- a recording praised by Stravinsky himself...SAD, since just a little extra care in the Brahms transfer, and the space of two additional discs, might have solved ALL of these problems. And what a botched opportunity: surely the execs at UNI knew that those of us inclined to buy such a mono-historical, limited-edition box, IN THE FIRST PLACE, would have paid a little extra for a first-rate, definitve collection.

The EVB "Volume 2" Philips set is better thought-out, with superb transfers, but there is one problem...In spite of the presence of the 1951 Brahms First in "Volume 1" (and it is a vastly superior, more passionate performance), in "Volume 2" we also get the 1958 stereo First- easily the least involving of EVB's Brahms recordings...Of course, it's pefectly recorded and stupendously played; but the peformance is just a tad too preoccupied with clarity of texture, it lacks the spaciousness, sense of abandon and daring which a Brahms First MUST HAVE, and never really catches fire. (A rarity with EVB.) This space could have been better taken up with EVB's other 1958 Brahms: the Tragic & Academic Overtures (even if we DO have the Haydn Variations & Alto Rhapsody from the same sessions) and especially the Violin Concerto with Grimaux. (The 1997 Dutch Masters set, containing EVB's Philips recordings of all 4 Brahms Symphonies, including the 1958 First, is still available through MHS.) Still, I'd say this was the only miscalculation, and that "Volume 2" is better and more wisely planned than "Volume 1."

The Mozart Posthorn Serenade and Bach Suites are scintillating. The Schubert symphonies (especially the Unfinished) are fantastic. And the Debussy is indispensable.

I ABSOLUTELY AGREE (with Michael B. Richman) that the cardboard box format of "Volume 1" should have been maintained with "Volume 2" ; the new 6-CD plastic cases are MUCH more vulnerable to breakage. (If you need replacements, these can be purchased through BAGS UNLIMITED of Rochester, NY at www.bagsunlimited.com)

As it is now, with the Decca Legends and Philips 50th Anniversary collections either at a standstill or to be discontinued, the chances of any FURTHER Van Beinum re-issues appear miniscule at best- at least, from UNI. So, as a long-term investment, it'd be prudent to snap this up before it, too, evaporates into the multi-national corporate ether.

After purchasing Volume 1 of Eduard van Beinum's box set in UNI's "Original Masters" series, I was very excited to finally get Volume 2. Compiling many of his greatest recordings for the Philips label from 1954-58, this box set will be a most welcome addition to the shelves of serious classical music fans. Unfortunately, this title is not without its problems. To date this series has prided itself on reissuing rare collector's items for the classical connoisseur, but frankly a lot of this material has been readily available for years. The 1957 performance of Schubert's 6th Symphony was recently included on van Beinum's volume in the "Great Conductors of the 20th Century" series (see my review). The recordings of Handel's Water Music (see my review) and all of the Debussy works (comprising the whole of disc six here) are available through the Australian Eloquence line. Finally, the Brahms 1st and the Mozart K299 have appeared in the Philips "Dutch Masters" import series. (As an aside, did UNI choose to split up Van Beinum's brilliant Brahms Symphony Cycle just to tease us? Why not just release all of four them as a 2CD OM title, like they did with the Moura Lympany 1951-52 recordings?) As I have mentioned in previous OM reviews, why UNI has now chosen to issue these sets in clunky plastic jewel cases, instead of the normal slim paperboard box with paper sleeves for the discs, is beyond me. Not only does this set look stupid next to Volume 1, which was produced using the aforementioned box style, but literally three of the four sets I have ordered from various sellers (Schuricht, Nelsova and Beinum) have arrived with their cases severely damaged in shipment. And it's not like with a single CD where you can just run down to Staples and buy replacement cases -- these 6CD gatefolds are impossible to find online. Anyway all the griping aside, there is a lot of great music here as approximately four CDs worth of material was new to me. The Bach Orchestral Suites and the Schubert 3rd & Unfinished were particularly refreshing, but that's just what you should expect from one of the great conductors of the pre/early stereo age. It's just hard to be completely satisfied when with a little more effort on the part of the folks at UNI/Philips, this set in particular, and series in general, could be perfect.

I have owned and still own some of the recordings in this set in original-now quite worn- Philips pressings. Philips was making about the most natural sounding and clean records available in those days. Spectrum analysis comparing the reissue to records I have indicates that the original recordings were severely re-equalized in the reissue, with 10 decibels of boost in the presence range (2-8khz), for example, in the Water Music. This makes the sound aggressive and distorts instrumental balances. It is unfortunate, though with a good parametric equalizer, the set can be greatly improved. The performances are wonderful.