Customer Reviews

Symphony 9

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

 

 

Beethoven the man has become Beethoven the God. This great composer has been placed on a pedestal (literally in many orchestra halls and countless musician's studios, homes, etc..) and has become the myth and legend. As time passed and the Romantic movment came into full blossom (Stravinsky may have said "decay" more like it..), the performance practice of this man's music has changed to reflect the times. Wagner's theories of tempo fluctuation, the increase in the size of the orchestra, the idea that slower is more "profound" music-making... all this has contributed to a general slowing of tempi for much of this great man's music. Solti plays the first movement at over 18 minutes. Zinman plays it at appx 13 minutes. These are 2 radically different interpretations. Who is right? Is it "relative?" No, it is not. LVB had a certain idea in his head and that idea did not include versions almost 50% faster/slower than the other. Why else would he have valued a new invention called the metronome so much?

Zinman (like Toscanini, Karajan, and now the period intrument movement) has decided to scrape clean almost 200 years of interpretative vision to see anew. Listen to the most radical change in this Barenreiter edition, the 4th movment Alla Marcia. Taken at such a fast tempi the march becomes a thing of real joy, and isn't that what this music is about ("brothers, hasten on your way, as a knight exults in victory!") ?

I have re-discovered my love of this symphony anew and, wait a moment, it cost me how much? Six dollars. For goodness sake, even if you disagree with everything I just said, order this cd and judge for yourself, try something new, and awaken a little suprise and (hopefully) shock in your typical listening routine.

David Zinman's performance of Beethoven's 9th might shock some, amuse others and edify the rest. For 5 dollars it is a supreme bargain and will give you a discount front-row seat to hear The New Beethoven--really the Old Beethoven--the way he intended his 9th symphony to be played. Since Wagner's time the 9th has been stretched and distorted, made grandiose and solemn. But Beethoven's symphony is an Ode to Joy, not a Dirge to Grandiosity. The new Barenreiter editions of Beethoven's symphonies strip away two centuries of errors and emendations. Then too, Zinman follows Beethoven's metronome markings. I grew up with the ancient canard that those metronome markings couldn't be correct because Beethoven's metronome was inaccurate. How did people know that? Did Beethoven's shade pay them visits during which he discussed the failings of his household appliances? If Beethoven's metronome was inaccurate, then many Viennese didn't know the correct time. A metronome is a clock and accurate clocks certainly existed in the early 19th century. What's more, Beethoven was very explicit about tempi. Late in his life, though deaf, he would beat time on his piano top for his nephew--among others--to indicate the speed he intended for his music.

There are several other performances that adhere to The New Beethoven. Gardiner's performance is on period instruments with divided violin sections and is therefore even more authentic. Zinman's performance is on modern instruments with merged violin sections. But the Gardiner costs at least three times as much. If you spend 5 dollars for the Zinman CD and don't like the performance, you'll feel a lot better than if you had spent 18 dollars for the Gardiner.

Give it a try. It costs less than a meal at MacDonalds. If you like the performance you can order all nine symphonies in a box set for a preposterously low price and hear all the symphonies swept clean with the new broom.

The American conductor David Zinman and the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich combined in the 1990s on a celebrated release of the nine Beethoven symphonies using a new critical edition of the symphonies by Johathan Del Mar. The recordings are in period style but use modern instruments. Tempos are fast for many modern listeners, but instrumental textures are light and transparent. The recordings are available on Arte Nova at a budget price. I am enjoying revisiting the Beethoven symphonies and sharing my thoughts on them through listening to Zinman and his orchestra.

Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, completed late in his life in 1824, was the culmination of his symphonic achievement. The symphony has become a modern icon with its famous chorale finale setting Schiller's Ode to Joy. In the last movement of the symphony, Beethoven used Schiller's words with a sense of urgency in communicating with his listeners. But the Ninth, taken as a whole, is a complex, difficult and demanding work. Over the years, two broad issues have been raised about the Ninth. The first is the nature of the political message, if any, Beethoven was trying to convey as the symphony has been used by ideologues of every stripe. The second issue is whether Beethoven was wise to write a chorale, vocal finale to what had been three movements of sublime instrumental music. Beethoven himself had doubts on this matter, both before and after completing the Ninth.

The best way for the listener to approach these issues in the Ninth Symphony is to hear the work for oneself while trying to put aside, to the extent possible, preconceptions. There are many recorded interpretations of the Ninth, as well as many debates about the music and its purpose.

In listening to Zinman's Ninth, I was reminded of his latter recording of Beethoven's Missa Solemnis, a work composed at about the same time which
shares many of the same themes as the symphony. I found Zinman's reading
of the Missa Solemnis flowing and graceful, even though taken at a rapid pace, and an insightful, lyrical, yet reverent reading of this great work. Other listeners found Zinman's Missa too rushed and lightweight for the depth and profundity of the work.

I had on the whole the same reaction to Zinman's Ninth that I had to his Missa Solemnis. Zinman conducts at a rapid pace but does not drive the music. His performance tends to sing throughout. There are lovely movements for the many solo passages that grace the Ninth symphony, including the tympani and bassoon in the second movement, the oboe in the trio of the second movement, the horn in the beautiful adagio, the wind band in the finale, the flute throughout, and much more. And most of the time it works. The adagio was pensive, flowing and lovely, and I thought the finale, orchestra, soloists, and chorus were highly expressive.

I thought the opening movement left something to be desired. The first movement of this work is at least an equal partner to the famous finale, and it misses something in force, power and mystery in Zinman's reading. The work is taken with a fine sense of movement, but it lacked the power, force, and anger that need to be in the reading. I was more taken with its lack here than I was in Zinman's Missa Solemnis. The other part of this reading that gave me pause was in the trio of the second movement. The opening scherzo is taken at a rapid, rhythmic pace which brings out the humor, force, and instrumentation of the score. But the trio, which seems to me a contrasting, reflective section, is taken at the same breakneck speed. It is too pat, too businesslike, and does not allow for a hearing of the full breadth of the movement.

To me, Beethoven's Ninth symphony speaks of a hope for love and brotherhood among human beings, of an idealism and devotion to truth, and of a nondenominational religion of love, all of which are difficult to understand in a cynical, skeptical age. The symphony should be approached as a whole, including the difficult instrumental journey of the first three movements and the beginning of the fourth in order to understand Schiller's ode and the finale. Just as there are many interpretations of the Ninth Symphony and of Beethoven's purpose in its composition, there are many excellent recorded versions of this music, none of which definitively capture the work in its fulness. Zinman's reading brings out the lyricism and grace of this great Beethoven symphony.

Let me begin by saying I own 10 recordings of this symphony; this one ranks somewhere in the middle. (Yes, I'm a bit freakish; part of the reason I have so many is I've yet to find a single recording of this great piece of music that completely satisfies me.)

The strengths of this CD: The sound quality is very good and clear, although a little on the dry side. You can hear all the different textures and details very clearly, probably more so than on any other recording of the 9th I have. The orchestra, soloists and choir are all very disciplined. And, of course, (...), it is an excellent value (as is his cycle at less then the cost of two full price cds).

The weaknesses: Zinman's performance, while pleasant, lacks the power, emotion, bite and depth that the greatest recordings of this work have. Zinman tends to follow period performance example when it comes to interpretation, but I've heard both modern and period instrument recordings that were more moving. At times the performance is a little on the boring side (and this is NOT boring music) and the orchestra too much like an uninspired chamber orchestra -- while some may enjoy this, I think the symphony needs to be performed at a more grand scale to reach its potential.

The verdict -- you can't beat the price and (...)it's probably worth getting (...). It would be a good introduction to the piece if you're not familiar with Beethoven or are on a tight budget, and a worthy addition if you collect hoards of classical cds... but if you love Beethoven's 9th, you'll probably want to eventually get additional, more emotionally satisfying recordings. (My top three right now are probably Karajan 1977 on modern instruments, Bernstein 1989 on modern instruments recorded live, and Gardiner's period instrument recording.)

I have lots of Beethoven 9th's. Some are slow, others fast and some just confused. David Zinman is definitely not confused. His 9th is not only fast, it is like a rocket. It is the only 9th at less than an hour, many 9ths last more than 70 minutes. Early on, I liked all the fast tempos except for the scherzo which I felt was terribly rushed and unmusical. But after about two complete listenings, the ultrafast tempos began to give me a headache. Personally, I like the first movement at 14 minutes, the 2nd at 11, the 3rd also 14 and the last movement at 24. That totals 63 minutes, a good brisk tempo but still musical.

I've written a couple of very negative reviews of the Zinman Beethoven cycle and I felt a stab of regret thinking, "Who am I to blast these recordings? I'm not an expert and I've only been seriously listening to Beethoven's music for a short time." But you know, in that short time I've listened to alot of music, in alot of different ways and I believe I can perceive that this music is not being presented with the amount of subtext that must be included: "Is this piece or part of a piece about "passion"...or "joy"...or "pathos" "? In Zinnman's Beethoven it is just a list of notes to be sounded. Conductors have styled this work in different ways, but always emphatically. The ninth is not a walk in the park, not chamber music, and not boring.