Wilhelm Furtwangler- Recordings 1942-1944, Vol. 1 [Box set, Live]

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Composer), Ludwig van Beethoven (Composer), George Frederick Handel (Composer), Franz [Vienna] Schubert (Composer), Carl Maria von Weber (Composer), Wilhelm Furtwängler (Conductor), Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
• Conductor: Wilhelm Furtwängler
• Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, George Frederick Handel, Franz [Vienna] Schubert, Carl Maria von Weber
• Audio CD (October 8, 2002)
• SPARS Code: ADD
• Number of Discs: 4
• Format: Box set, Live
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Deutsche Grammophon
• ASIN: B00005ONMK
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #92,255 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

No Description Available.
Genre: Classical Music
Media Format: Compact Disk
Rating:
Release Date: 8-OCT-2002

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Information for Furtwangler collectors, May 29, 2005

By 

Wayfarer (CA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wilhelm Furtwangler- Recordings 1942-1944, Vol. 1 (Audio CD)

If you are looking at this item, you probably do not need to be convinced of the musical worth of these performances. So I'll refrain from commenting on the quality of the recordings here, and instead try to list details about them which might help you check for overlaps with other CDs.

Please note that the Coriolan and the Beethoven Symphonies here are the same performances present on the Music and Arts 4CD set [ASIN: B00001W09Z]. I'm not sure how the quality of this remastering compares with that one.


1. Symphony no 39 in E flat major, K 543
27m : 54s Staatsoper, Berlin 2/8/1944

2. Coriolan Overture in C minor, Op. 62
8m : 57s Alte Philharmonie, Berlin 6/30/1943

3. Symphony no 4 in B flat major, Op. 60
35m : 29s Alte Philharmonie, Berlin 6/30/1943

4. Symphony no 5 in C minor, Op. 67
33m : 8s Alte Philharmonie, Berlin 6/30/1943

5. Symphony no 7 in A major, Op. 92
37m : 34s Alte Philharmonie, Berlin 11/3/1943

6. Concerto for Violin in D major, Op. 61
43m : 26s Alte Philharmonie, Berlin 1/12/1944

7. Concerto grosso (12), Op. 6: no 10 in D minor, HWV 328
17m : 29s Staatsoper, Berlin 2/8/1944

8. Symphony no 9 in C major, D 944 "Great"
50m : 16s Alte Philharmonie, Berlin 12/8/1942

9. Der Freischutz, J 277: Overture
10m : 51s Staatsoper, Berlin 3/21/1944

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not the best quality, May 19, 2009

By 

Mr. Fredric J. Einstein - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wilhelm Furtwangler- Recordings 1942-1944, Vol. 1 (Audio CD)

DG used Russian 15 IPS dubs of the original Magnetophone recordings to master this series (as they did for their 33 CD collection which was released in Japan during the early 1990's. Thus, the fidelity of the DG series is compromised.

In contrast, a French label Tahra used the original MASTER Magnetophone tapes to make their set of these recordings. Thus, the Tahra set is of MUCH MUCH higher fidelity than these. In fact, the Tahra series sounds as though it was recorded in the 50's or 60's in terms of fidelity.

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling musical document, October 26, 2007

By 

Andrew R. Weiss "Raleigh Observer" (Raleigh, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wilhelm Furtwangler- Recordings 1942-1944, Vol. 1 (Audio CD)

These live performances were recorded for broadcast during WWII in Germany, and while the sound is not up to modern standards it is surprisingly good for its time. The microphones in the concert hall were wired to a small, windowless control room, where they were primatively "mixed" and the signal sent via telegraph wire to the radio transmitter studio, where it was recorded on early Magnetophone tape recorders. The tapes were captured by the Soviets after the liberation of Berlin and transported to Moscow, where they languished for many years. Some performances were released by the Soviets, but the tapes were eventually returned to Germany and reprocessed in the 1980's.

The microphones used were omni-directional and surprisingly sensitive, and while there is some compression of dynamics, there is a surprisingly good sense of hall spaciousness and resonance for the mono source -- along with the inevitable coughs, rustles, etc. And the sound quality varies, depending on the quality of the tape (some were recorded over several times, and the tapes themselves may have suffered some damage during their years of storage) and the alacrity of the "engineers" in the windowless "control room" in the old Philharmonie, who had to adjust volume both to capture soft passages and avoid overload in the louder ones. As a general rule, the performances with soloists suffer the greatest from congestion and distortion in the climaxes. However, the sound of the Berlin Philharmonic during the war years comes through surprisingly well. DGG has favored clarity above all, and has not filtered out distortion in the string sound, etc. In general, the more "analytical" your sound system is, the worse these recordings will sound. Those who, like me, prefer a more analog-oriented sound will fare better.

The performances themselves are notable for their intensity of expression. Both conductor and orchestra seemed to be playing as though their lives depended on it (as indeed they did, considering how ofter the Nazis threatened to disband the Philharmonic because of Furtwangler's refusal to kowtow, and send all the musicians into the army). Furtwangler, living with the ambiguity of his decision to stay in Germany and minister to the spirit of the German people through music, and the inevitable compromises he made so he could continue his mission, conducted with a controlled fervor rarely matched.

In this volume, the highlights are the Beethoven pieces: a mystical Beethoven 4th, an heroic and fierce Beethoven 5th, an almost maniacal Beethoven 7th with an intensely dramatic second movement and a finale nearly spinning out of control, and a lovely violin concerto featuring the Philharmonic's concertmaster as soloist. There is also a magnificent and dramatic Schubert 9th. All of these should be required listening, even if you already own Furtwangler's post-war recordings, because of the difference in interpretation. Post-war Furtwangler is more spiritual and detached; mid-war Furtwangler is more emotional and in the thick of things. Each has its virtues, but don't assume you know everything about Furtwangler -- or about these pieces of music -- until you've heard both.

Highly recommended despite the variable and limited sound.