Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Adagio molto
2. Andante cantabile con moto
3. Minuetto. Allegro molto e vivace
4. Finale Adagio
5. Allegro
6. Andante
7. Allegro - Allegro - Allegretto

Disc 2:

1. Adagio molto
2. Larghetto
3. Scherzo Allegro
4. Allegro molto
5. Adagio, Allegro vivace
6. Adagio
7. Allegro vivace
8. Allegro ma non troppo

Disc 3:

1. Allegro con brio
2. Marcia funebre, adagio assai
3. Scherzo: Allegro vivace
4. Finale: Allegro molto
5. Allegro vivace e con brio
6. Allegro scherzando
7. Tempo di Menuetto
8. Allegro vivace

Disc 4:

1. Allegro con brio
2. Andante con moto
3. Allegro + Allegro attaca
4. Poco sostenuto
5. Allegretto
6. Presto
7. Allegro con brio

Disc 5:

1. Allegro ma non troppo
2. Molto vivace
3. Adagio molto cantabile
4. Presto, Allegro assai (Ode an die Freude)

Disc 6:

1. Allegro con brio
2. Largo
3. Rondo. Allegro
4. Allegro
5. Largo - Rondo alla pollaca

Disc 7:

1. Allegro con brio
2. Adagio
3. Rondo. Molto Allegro
4. Allegro con brio
5. Largo
6. Rondo. Allegro

Disc 8:

1. Allegro moderato
2. Andante con moto
3. Rondo. Vivace
4. Allegro
5. Adagio un poco mosso + Rondo. Allegro

Disc 9:

1. Allegro ma non troppo
2. Larghetto
3. Rondo: Allegro

Disc 10:

1. Allegro moderato
2. Larghetto
3. Rondo. Allegretto

Disc 11:

1. Ouvertüre
2. Einleitung. Allegro non troppo
3. Poco adagio, Allegro con brio
4. Adagio, Allegro con brio
5. Allegro vivace
6. Maestoso, Andante
7. Adagio, Andante quasi allegretto
8. Un poco adagio, Allegro
9. Grave
10. Allegro con brio, Presto
11. Adagio, Allegro molto
12. Pastorale, Allegro
13. Andante
14. Maestoso, Adagio, Allegro
15. Allegro
16. Andante, Adagio, Allegro
17. Andantino, Adagio, Allegro
18. Finale. Allegretto

Disc 12:

1. Menuett 1
2. Menuett 2
3. Menuett 3
4. Menuett 4
5. Menuett 5
6. Menuett 6
7. Menuett 7
8. Menuett 8
9. Menuett 9
10. Menuett 10
11. Menuett 11
12. Menuett 12
13. Tanz 1
14. Tanz 2
15. Tanz 3
16. Tanz 4
17. Tanz 5
18. Tanz 6
19. Tanz 7
20. Tanz 8
21. Tanz 9
22. Tanz 10
23. Tanz 11
24. Tanz 12
25. Kontertanz 1
26. Kontertanz 2
27. Kontertanz 3
28. Kontertanz 4
29. Kontertanz 5
30. Kontertanz 6
31. Kontertanz 7
32. Kontertanz 8
33. Kontertanz 9
34. Kontertanz 10
35. Kontertanz 11
36. Kontertanz 12

Disc 13:

1. Ouvertüre
2. Lied: Die Trommel gerührt
3. Zwischenmusik 1. Andante - Allegro con brio. Es ist keine falsche Ader an ihm
4. Zwischenmusik 2. Larghetto
5. Lied. Freudvoll und leidvoll
6. Zwischenmusik 3. Allegro - Marcia. Vivace. Der König meint
7. Zwischenmusik 4. Poco sostenuto e risoluto
8. Monolog
9. Musik, Clärchens Tod bezeichnend. Arme Seele
10. Monolog
11. Melodram. Süsser Schlaf! Du kommst wie ein reines Glück
12. Monolog
13. Siegessinfonie. Allegro con brio
14. Schlacht
15. Siegessymphonie

Disc 14:

1. Ouvertüre
2. Chor. Tochter des mächtigen Zeus
3. Duett. Ohne verschulden Knechtschaft dulden
4. Chor der Derwische. Du hast in deines Ärmels Falten den Mond getragen
5. Türkischer Marsch
6. Musik hinter der Szene. Es wandelt schon das Volk im Feierkleide
7. Marsch und Chor. Schmückt die Altäre
8. Rezitativ. Mit reger Freude, die nie erkaltet
9. Chor. Wir trafen empfängliche Herzen im Busen
10. Arie mit Chor. Will unser Genius noch einen Wunsch gewähren
11. Chor. Heil unserem König! Heil!
12. Melodram. Du, dem sie gewunden
13. Trauermarsch

Disc 15:

1. Scene 1. Blick, O Herr, durch diese Bäume
2. Ouvertüre
3. Chor. Ruhend von seinen Taten
4. Chor. Auf dunklem Irrweg in finstren Hainen
5. Siegesmarsch. Ihr tapfern Krieger, Ungarns Stolz und Zierde
6. Chor. Wo die Unschuld Blumen streute
7. Chor. Eine neue strahlende Sonne
8. Finale Chor. Heil! Heil unsern Enkeln

Disc 16:

1. Act 1. Ouverture
2. Act 1. Fidelio kommt nicht zurück!
3. Act 1. Arie. O wär' ich schon mit dir vereint
4. Act 1. Wenn ich diese Tür nicht
5. Act 1. Duett. Jetzt, Schätzchen, jetzt sind wir allein
6. Act 1. Höre, jaquino - So habt ihr denn
7. Act 1. Terzett: Ein Mann ist bald genommen
8. Act 1. Ist Fidelio noch nicht nach Hause gekommen? - Lieber Gott
9. Act 1. Quartett. Mir ist so wunderbar
10. Act 1. Höre, Fidelio
11. Act 1. Arie. Hat man nicht auch Gold beineben
12. Act 1. Ihr könnt das leicht sagen, Meister Rocco
13. Act 1. Terzett. Gut, söhnchen, gut
14. Act 2. Marsch
15. Act 2. Drei Schildwachen auf dem Wall
16. Act 2. Arie mit Chor. Ha! Welch ein Augenblick!
17. Act 2. Rocco
18. Act 2. Duett. Jetzt, Alter, hat es Eile!
19. Act 2. Nun ist es endlich entschieden
20. Act 2. Duett. Um in der Ehe froh zu leben
21. Act 2. Sieh doch, wie du so schnell - Wie rührend
22. Act 2. Rezitativ und Arie. Ach, brich noch nicht - Komm, Hoffnung

Disc 17:

1. Act 2. O welche Lust, in freier Luft
2. Act 2. Finale. Entfernt euch jetzt! Nun, könnt ihr eilen?
3. Act 2. Finale. Wir müssen gleich zu Werke schreiten
4. Act 2. Finale. Auf euch nur will ich bauen
5. Act 3. Rezitativ und Arie. Gott! Welch Dunkel hier!
6. Act 3. Melodram und Duett. Wie kalt ist es in diesem unterirdischen Gewölbe!
7. Act 3. Er erwacht!
8. Act 3. Terzett. Euch werde Lohn in bessern Welten
9. Act 3. Alles ist bereit - Ist alles bereit?
10. Act 3. Quartett. Er sterbe! Doch er soll erst wissen
11. Act 3. Die Waffe hab' ich mir nehmen lassen
12. Act 3. Rezitativ und Duett. Ich kann mich noch nicht fassen
13. Act 3. O Leonore, sprich!
14. Act 3. Finale. Zur Rache!
15. Act 3. Finale. O Gott! O welch ein Augenblick!
16. Act 3. Finale. Wie lange habt Ihr sie Getragen?
17. Act 3. Finale. Preist mit hoher Freude Glut
18. Act 3. Finale. Wer ein solches Weib errungen

Disc 18:

1. Act 1. Ouvertüre
2. Act 1. Duett. Jetzt, Schätzchen, jetzt sind wir allein
3. Act 1. Dialog & Arie. O war' ich schon mit dir vereint
4. Act 1. Dialog & Quartett. Mir ist so wunderbar
5. Act 1. Dialog & Arie. Hat man nicht auch Gold beineben
6. Act 1. Dialog & Terzett. Gut, Söhnchen, gut
7. Act 1. Marsch
8. Act 1. Dialog & Arie und Chor. Ha! Welch ein Augenblick!
9. Act 1. Dialog & Duett. Jetzt, Alter, jetzt hat es Eile!
10. Act 1. Rezitativ und Arie. Abscheulicher! Wo eilst du hin?
11. Act 1. Dialog & Finale. O welche Lust
12. Act 1. Nun sprecht, wie ging's?
13. Act 1. Leb'wohl, du warmes Sonnenlicht

Disc 19:

1. Act 2. Einleitung und Arie. Gott! welch' Dunkel hier!
2. Act 2. Melodrama und Duett. Wie kalt ist es
3. Act 2. Dialog & Terzett. Euch werde Lohn in bessern Welten
4. Act 2. Dialog & Quartett. Er sterbe!
5. Act 2. Duett. O namenlose Freude!
6. Act 2. Finale: Heil! Heil sei dem Tag!
7. Act 2. Des besten Königs Wink und Wille
8. Act 2. Wer ein holdes Weib errungen

Disc 20:

1. Allegro
2. Adagio
3. Menuett. Allegretto
4. Finale
5. Allegro vivace
6. Largo appassionato
7. Scherzo. Allegretto
8. Rondo. Grazioso
9. Allegro
10. Allegretto
11. Presto

Disc 21:

1. Allegro con brio
2. Adagio
3. Scherzo. Allegro
4. Allegro assai
5. Allegro molto con brio
6. Largo
7. Allegro
8. Rondo. Poco allegro e grazioso
9. Allegro molto e con brio
10. Adagio molto
11. Finale. Prestissimo

Disc 22:

1. Presto
2. Largo e mesto
3. Menuetto. Allegro
4. Rondo. Allegro
5. Grave, Allegro di molto en con brio
6. Adagio cantabile
7. Rondo. Allegro
8. Allegro
9. Andante
10. Scherzo. Allegro assai
11. Adagio sostenuto
12. Allegretto
13. Presto agitato

Disc 23:

1. Allegro con brio
2. Adagio con espressione
3. Menuetto
4. Rondo
5. Andante con variazioni
6. Scherzo: Allegro molto
7. Marcia funebre
8. Allegro
9. Allegro
10. Andante
11. Scherzo: Allegro vivace
12. Rondo: Allegro ma non troppo

Disc 24:

1. Allegro vivace
2. Adagio grazioso
3. Rondo: Allegretto
4. Largo Allegro
5. Adagio
6. Allegretto
7. Allegro
8. Scherzo: Allegretto vivace
9. Menuett: Moderato e grazioso
10. Andante
11. Rondo: Allegro

Disc 25:

1. Allegro ma non troppo
2. Tempo di menuetto
3. Allegro con brio
4. Introduzione: Adagio molto
5. Rondo allegretto moderato
6. In Tempo di Menuetto
7. Allegretto
8. Allegro assai
9. Andante con moto
10. Allegro ma non troppo
11. Adagio cantabile - Allegro ma non troppo
12. Allegro vivace

Disc 26:

1. Adagio
2. Andante espressivo
3. Vivacissimamente
4. Allegro
5. Scherzo
6. Adagio sostenuto

Disc 27:

1. Andante
2. Allegro
3. Allegro molto
4. Presto alla tedesca
5. Andante
6. Vivace
7. Con vivacita e sempre con sentimento ed espressione
8. Non troppo vivace e cantabile assai
9. Allegretto ma non troppo
10. Vivace alla marcia
11. Adagio ma non troppo / Allegro ma non troppo

Disc 28:

1. Vivace ma non troppo
2. Andante molto cantabile
3. Moderato cantabile
4. Allegro molto
5. Adagio ma non troppo
6. Maestoso, Allegro con brio
7. Arietta adagio molto

Disc 29:

1. Bagatelle 1
2. Bagatelle 2
3. Bagatelle 3
4. Bagatelle 4
5. Bagatelle 5
6. Bagatelle 6
7. Bagatelle 7
8. Bagatelle 1: Allegretto
9. Bagatelle 2: Andante con moto
10. Bagatelle 3: Allemande
11. Bagatelle 4: Andante cantabile
12. Bagatelle 5: Risoluto
13. Bagatelle 6: Andante - Allegretto
14. Bagatelle 7: Allegro ma non troppo
15. Bagatelle 8: Moderato cantabile
16. Bagatelle 9: Vivace moderato
17. Bagatelle 10: Allegramente
18. Bagatelle 11: Andante ma non troppo
19. Bagatelle 1: Andante con moto
20. Bagatelle 2: Allegro
21. Bagatelle 3: Andante
22. Bagatelle 4: Presto
23. Bagatelle 5: Quasi allegretto
24. Bagatelle 6: Presto - Andante amabile e con moto

Disc 30:

1. Allegro cantabile
2. Andante
3. Rondo vivace
4. Larghetto maestoso
5. Andante
6. Presto
7. Allegro
8. Menuetto
9. Scherzando

Disc 31:

1. No. 1 in C major
2. No. 2 in G major

Disc 32:

1. Thema: Vivace
2. Variation 1
3. Variation 2
4. Variation 3
5. Variation 4
6. Variation 5
7. Variation 6
8. Variation 7
9. Variation 8
10. Variation 9
11. Variation 10
12. Variation 11
13. Variation 12
14. Variation 13
15. Variation 14
16. Variation 15
17. Variation 16
18. Variation 17
19. Variation 18
20. Variation 19
21. Variation 20
22. Variation 21
23. Variation 22
24. Variation 23
25. Variation 24
26. Variation 25
27. Variation 26
28. Variation 27
29. Variation 28
30. Variation 29
31. Variation 39
32. Variation 31
33. Variation 32
34. Variation 33

Disc 33:

1. Allegro moderato
2. Rondo
3. No. 1 in C major
4. No. 2 in F major
5. No. 3 D major

Disc 34:

1. Marsch
2. Deutscher Gesang
3. Jagdlied
4. Minnelied
5. Kriegslied
6. Trinklied
7. Tanzlied
8. Coda

Disc 35:

1. Allegro con brio
2. Tema con variazioni
3. Rondo: Allegro
4. Allegro vivace
5. Andante piu tosto
6. Allegro piacevole
7. Allegro con spirito
8. Adagio con molto espressione
9. Rondo: Allegro molto

Disc 36:

1. Presto
2. Andante scherzoso
3. Allegro molto
4. Allegro
5. Adagio molto espressivo
6. Scherzo: Allegro molto
7. Rondo: Allegro molto
8. Allegro
9. Adagio

Disc 37:

1. Allegro
2. Adagio molto espressivo
3. Allegretto con variazioni
4. Allegro con brio
5. Adagio cantabile
6. Scherzo: Allegro
7. Finale: Allegro
8. Allegro assai
9. Tempo di menuetto
10. Allegro vivace

Disc 38:

1. Adagio sostenuto
2. Andante con variazioni
3. Finale: Presto
4. Allegro moderato
5. Adagio espressivo
6. Scherzo: Allegro
7. Poco allegretto

Disc 39:

1. Adagio sostenuto
2. Allegro
3. Allegro vivace
4. Adagio sostenuto ed espressivo
5. Allegro molto più tosto presto
6. Rondo: Allegro

Disc 40:

1. Allegro ma non troppo
2. Scherzo: Allegro molto
3. Adagio cantabile - Allegro vivace
4. Andante - Allegro vivace
5. Adagio - Allegro vivace
6. Allegro con brio
7. Adagio con molto sentimento d'affeto
8. Allegro fugato

Disc 41:

1. Allegro con brio
2. Andante cantabile
3. Scherzo: Allegro assai
4. Finale: Presto
5. Adagio, Allegro vivace
6. Largo con espressione
7. Scherzo: Allegro
8. Finale: Presto

Disc 42:

1. Allegro con brio
2. Adagio cantabile con variazioni
3. Menuetto quasi allegro
4. Finale: Prestissimo
5. Allegro vivace e con brio
6. Largo assai ed espressivo
7. Presto

Disc 43:

1. Allegro moderato
2. Scherzo: Allegro
3. Andante cantabile
4. Allegro moderato

Disc 44:

1. Allegro moderato
2. Scherzo, Allegro ma non troppo
3. Rondo, Allegretto

Disc 45:

1. Adagio, Allegro con brio
2. Larghetto quasi andante
3. Scherzo
4. Allegro molto
5. Adagio, Allegro con brio
6. Adagio cantabile
7. Tempo di menuetto
8. Andante con variazioni
9. Scherzo: Allegro molto e vivace
10. Andante con moto

Disc 46:

1. Allegro con brio
2. Andante
3. Menuetto Allegretto
4. Adagio
5. Menuetto Moderato
6. Finald: Allegro
7. Marcia
8. Adagio
9. Menuetto - Trio
10. Adagio - Scherzo
11. Allegretto alla polacca
12. Andante quasi allegretto

Disc 47:

1. Adagio, Allegro con brio
2. Adagio ma non tanto
3. Scherzo
4. Presto
5. Allegretto
6. Andante quasi allegretto
7. Menuetto
8. Rondo
9. Allegro con spirito
10. Adagio con espressione
11. Scherzo
12. Finale

Disc 48:

1. Allegro con brio
2. Adagio affettuoso
3. Scherzo
4. Allegro
5. Allegro
6. Adagio cantabile
7. Scherzo
8. Allegro molto, quasi presto
9. Allegro
10. Andante con moto
11. Allegro
12. Presto

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #239994 in Music
• Released on: 2007-06-26
• Number of discs: 87
• Formats: Box set, Import

Album Description
784 works on 87 CDs. Recordings date from 1987-2007.

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Customer Reviews

A waste of money.
In short, this box set is just awful. You can get it for even cheaper (about $90, shipping included) from a German mail-order company, but even at this price, it's not worth it.

The performances are poor and the sound quality is atrocious. Most of the recordings have a lot of static. They also use a large number of live recordings which adds coughing and clapping into the mess. Sound quality varies from works on a single CD -- one of the discs of symphonies has a decent sounding 5th, but the 7th is barely audible. After I turned it up, it almost blew out my car speakers when it cycled back to the 5th symphony. Don't be deceived by the big-name conductor -- these sound like rehearsal recordings. Mistakes abound and in general sound unpolished.

I listened to about a third of the recordings before I decided I was wasting my time. The Symphonies as a whole are passable, but only barely. The Violin Sonatas are absolutely terrible. They are live performances, and I understand some people prefer live for the "energy" a performer can sometimes bring to the table. These, however were some of the dullest interpretations that I've ever heard. I listed to 4 of them (#5 through 8) before I couldn't take anymore. The Piano Sonatas are bizarre -- they took whatever recordings they could find and mashed them together. They use 3 different pianists, and the ones that use Svatoslav Richter are live. On many of the discs, they use all 3 pianists for different sonatas and makes for a disjointed mess.

The Wind Music is a salvagable point, but the performances lack flair of any type. I took a sampling of 3 of the string quartets (early, middle, and late), and they were again dull with the subtle details missing from all the static. The Violin Concerto was so-so too, but again the static kills it. After listening to a particularly bad performance of Emperor Concerto, I gave up.

The CDs are organized exceptionally poorly. How on earth does Piano Trio 5 and 7 (which are incorrectly named, but no matter) end up Discs 44 and 45, but Piano Trio 6 end up on Disc 84 with a Quintet and Lieder?

You can find that anamoly and many many more by reading the index, a 16 page booklet with the list of works in alphabetical order. Unfortunately, about half of this booklet are Lieder and Folksong titles, rendering it halfway useless. Beside this booklet, there's no text, no librettos, no translations, no information as to what you're listening to, or any apologies as to why this box set is so shoddily contructed, organized, and executed.

I recently purchased the Brilliant Classics box set that was recently released, and it rises head and shoulders above this one. It's about the same price as this one so spare yourself the trouble and anguish of buying a box set full of sub-par recordings. The 60 CD Sony set is tremendously better even if you don't get the last 27 CDs of music. Just stay away from this one!

Who could complain?
Okay, so I ordered this boxed set from Europe at a much cheaper price (even when S & H are added in) and I now own "the complete" Beethoven on CD! I have listened to the entire set and of course there is a range of quality but who could complain about having 87 CDs of Beethoven for less than $1 per disc? Most of the versions are quite serviceable or even very good.

HOWEVER....
I decided that there are some things that I really have to complain about, despite this being a good deal.

1. The tracks are often "run together" with absolutely no break being provided between them. Thus, as soon as one movement ends we often hear a new movement or even a new work (of entirely different character) starting up with no pause whatsoever!

2. Whoever wrote up the information on the disc sleeves apparently knew nearly nothing about classical music. The information about the timings isn't 100% reliable, it is common that fast movements with an introduction will be marked only with the tempo of that introduction (andante, adagio) instead of including the predominant tempo (allegro, presto, vivace), and the completeness of the set is difficult to verify due to the different numberings used in the Hess and the WoO listings.

3. Indexing is inferior - there's a general overview of the type of content on each disc, for a quick reference, but if one is looking for a specific work, it helps to speak German, and even then it's really hard to predect how they've classified things in the alphabetical German index. I went looking for a particular set of Lieder (Op. 48) and eventually found them listed under "Bitten" - how would I have known?? Other song sets are listed by the name of the individual song - I try to figure out where to find the songs in WoO 99 and they are split semi-randomly among two discs and then I have to do a web search to see why number 8 appears to be missing (My best guess at this time is considered part of WoO 119 and they didn't feel the need to duplicate it?). Then I can't find number 12 of the WoO 99 set at all! Maybe it's there if I scrutinize the tiny listings on each disc, or read through the entire 16 page index booklet? The only solution, I think, is to do just that - I have had to create my own indexes so that I can find smaller works in the set, based on catalog and opus numbers. What a chore!

4. The disorder of the set is a real problem for scholars. Ok, sure, if I want to listen only to the symphonies and concertos and overtures, like the average casual listener, there's no problem - those most popular works are all at the front of the set. But if I want to listen to the complete piano sonatas in order, a bit more searching is required. The real problem comes with more obscure works like WoO 99 (or, more specifically, all those works Beethoven wrote as an exercise for Salieri, in the transition from his early to middle period, numbered from 208 to 232 in the Hess catalog). That's when the problems of the set's construction become very clear. Perhaps things are disordered to cover up for some missing minor pieces, and this set really isn't complete? Did they think that listeners couldn't bear to hear the full sets of folk songs and other minor works at one sitting, and needed these tracks shuffled between discs, for listening variety? Did they have to piece these sets together from different performers and recording sources, and felt it was therefore simpler to place random partial clumpings of them on different discs? I do know that when I want to listen to particular collections of works from a specific year or genre, I have had to switch discs a great deal... in some cases only to hear a 30 second or 15 second micro-work (mini-songs or exercises or fragments) rather than having such things more reasonably organized chronologically, or at least by catalog number or at the very very least by not having the same song/dance or other collections split across multiple discs. There is a semblance of order preserved, but I should be able to listen to compendium works in their original order without having to switch between 2 or 3 discs! Ridiculous.

Thus, many things about the set are designed for a casual listener, it seems. However, can one really complain about having at least a practically complete box of Beethoven CDs for less than $1 per disc? This set has problems, but in terms of a listening experience it's still a very good value. On the other hand, there may be (and likely are) other boxed sets that have a much better organization, indexing, and recording quality than this one...without paying too much more for those benefits.

WOW! Beethoven in a box!
Who could ask for more? This is the ultimate. To have all of Beethoven's works in one, easy to access place is heaven for the Beethovenite! The price, considering what one would have to pay for each recording separately, is so well worth it. The booklet provided, lists each work alphabetically, with the disc number, so finding a particular work is easier. The only draw back is not having a cross listing of works listed by Opus number or WoO (Without Opus). The box is nicely designed, and no tower of jewel cases! The recordings provide good sound quality. I have heard better recordings, but still, they are good. 100's of hours of listening pleasure.