Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Beethoven Symphonies

Disc 2:

1. Sym No.5 in c, Op.67: I. Allegro Con Brio

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #47973 in Music
• Released on: 2006-01-01
• Number of discs: 4
• Format: Box set
• Dimensions: .52 pounds

Amazon.com essential recording
These may be the most gripping performances of Beethoven's symphonies you'll ever hear. No, not necessarily the most enjoyable or even the most accurate, but gripping--to say the least. In these wartime performances of Symphonies Nos. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 9, Wilhelm Furtwängler is at his most expressive, angry self. Conducting six of the world's greatest symphonies for audiences in Nazi Germany, Furtwängler has an inner turmoil that seems to shoot straight through his baton. He drives the Vienna and Berlin Philharmonics to the edge of disaster, but miraculously they keep up--rising to the occasion. The Eroica and the Ninth are particularly emotion-filled; the latter features the great Bruno Kittel Choir and the BPO in fine form, but they--like everyone else here--are overshadowed by the conductor's bipolar mood swings and furious pacings. Brace yourself. These are shocking, awesome, thought-provoking performances that--thanks to a great remastering--have never sounded better. --Jason Verlinde

Customer Reviews

Phenomenal Historic Set For Collectors
These are phenomenal examples of Furtwangler's art in very fine transfers. I can't imagine any serious Beethoven collection being without them. With that said, these are all live concert readings in fairly rough sound, despite M&A's fine efforts. These readings really put most of their counterparts in EMI's Furtwangler Beethoven set in the shade. However, for the average listener, it will be necessary to come to terms with your willingness to choose between the inspired readings here versus the better sound of later Furtwangler performances elsewhere. Here is a brief summary of this set's contents, plus a few recommended alternatives.

Disc 1: The 1944 VPO Eroica is an incredibly white-hot reading - quite simply one of the greatest Beethoven performances ever recorded. I first owned this on a miserably transferred Vox Turnabout LP that was so sharp that the Eroica was virtually in E major instead of E flat. M & A's transfer is correctly pitched and is the finest I have heard. However, I think that most listeners may derive more pleasure from the beautiful sound of the 1952 BPO version found on Tahra 1054/7. The performance is less intense, but the sonics are vastly superior. It is also far more committed than the studio reading on EMI.

This 1943 BPO Coriolan Overture is the greatest statement of the score ever to reach my ears. What extraordinary passion and commitment! The 1944 VPO Leonore Overture is superb - it's even finer than the reading in the 1950 complete Fidelio with Patzak & Flagstad.

Disc 2: This 1943 BPO 5th has been my benchmark ever since first hearing it on a Unicorn LP. The crescendo from the Scherzo into the Finale here has to be heard to be believed - it is one of the grandest moments in all of recorded Beethoven. This 5th is also available on Tahra 272, coupled with a superb 1945 Pastoral conducted by Hermann Abendroth. The Tahra transfer is a little better, but the difference is very slight. I only play this 5th once in awhile, so as not to diminish the impact of its rather "over the top" interpretation. For more frequent consumption, I tend to play the 1937 Berlin studio (on Biddulph 006) and the magnificent 1954 BPO on Tahra 1054/7. The live 1947 BPO (on deleted M&A) is also fascinating, if a shade eccentric. All in all, the 1954 BPO on Tahra offers the best combination of inspired playing and satisfying sound.

I am rather ambivalent about this 1944 BPO Pastoral. It's VERY dramatic, but perhaps a bit too much so for the nature of the work: parts of it feel too slow, while other are a trifle hectic. The VPO studio EMI is much mellower and has better sound. The 1954 BPO on Tahra 1054/7 offers what I feel is the best trade-off: a great performance in extremely good sound.

CD 3: This 1943 BPO is THE great Beethoven 4th in my view. The 1943 BPO 7th is Furtwangler's most dramatic account - it's my favorite. However, the more measured EMI studio account is also very fine, and the sound is vastly superior.

CD 4: This stunning 1942 9th is the most dramatic reading ever. The Adagio is Furtwangler's most expansive - what incredibly rhapsodic playing! The Scherzo is magnificent. In the Finale, the extended chord before the "Turkish Music" is wonderfully inspired. The choral work is intensely committed, and the soloists are excellent (except for Tilla Briem's high notes). As with the 5th in this set, I can't listen to this performance very often - it's almost painful in its raw power. The great live 1951 Bayreuth on EMI has a much better soprano (Schwarzkopf at her very best), far better sound, and perhaps a more optimal balance of mind and heart. Both, to my mind, are absolutely mandatory listening, along with the weightier, more meditative 1954 Philharmonia from just 3 months before Furtwangler's death (best heard on Tahra 1054/7).

This M&A set is a vital component of any representative Beethoven collection. It also features notes taken from John Ardoin's "The Furtwangler Record," although Ardoin's comments on the Leonore III in this set are curiously omitted. But I am sure that anyone interested in Furtwangler will want to have the whole book anyway.

No option for six stars..so I'll settle for five
If this is not a five star set, then you should deduct two stars from every other recording on Amazon.

Unless you are a period instrument purist or a digital diehard (or maybe someone who dislikes passionate musicmaking), there is little excuse for not buying this set on the spot. Ok, so maybe, as some previous reviewers stated, the performance practices are probably not the same as in Beethoven's time, and the recordings lack the pristine sound quality of Conductor X or Y's most recent bland cycle, and.....WHO CARES! If you are the type that buys music for these reasons, then I will say a prayer for you.

I'd like you to try a little experiment, turn the volumn up on your speakers(if you have speakers), go to the sound samples area and try out the fourth movement of the fourth symphony. Even though we are limited to a minute of music, it is amazing how much drama and intensity Furtwangler brings out of this even numbered and therefore supposedly lightweight symphony. Most conductors can't even approach this on the more dramatic odd numbered symphonies.

The third and ninth symphonies on this set are most likely the greatest perfomances ever recorded, and the rest are near this level. The sound quality is excellent for 1940's recordings and more than sufficient to bring out the quiet moments as well as the big climaxes. One note of caution however, once you become accustomed to these perfomances all other beethoven recordings will start to sound like MUZAK.

Awesome Performances -- Absolutely Acceptable Sound
These are quite simple some of the very best perforamces of the Beethoven symphonies (and overtures) that I have ever heard, Furtwangler makes the symphonies almost terrifying -- perhaps appropropriate for their wartime setting. These are somewhat heavy performances, and sometimes the humor and high spirts of Beethoven is lost (most notably in the Pastoral). Nevertheless, these are absolutely unique recordings that will make you listen to familiar music in a new way and hear things you have missed before. This is a great investment, no matter how many collections of the symphonies you have.

As to the sound, unless you are totally allergic to older mono recording, these are very good recordings for the time with relatively little dimness in recorded sound and generally lacking any sort of congestion in louder passages, yes, modern sound would be great, but the ear quickly adjusts. If you have any interest in Beethoven, these disks are worth having.