 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Rob Bell
Date: 2003-01-06 17:31
Hi everyone,
Since the Sibelius and Brahms symphonies have popped up I thought I would ask you guys for recommendations of recordings of the Beethoven symphonies.
Thanks,
Rob
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Author: GBK
Date: 2003-01-06 17:48
The Complete Beethoven Symphonies: Szell/Cleveland
#1/#6/Egmont - Sony SBK46532
#2/#5 - Sony SBK47651
#3/#8 - Sony SBK46328
#4/#7/King Stephen - Sony SBK48158
#9/Fidelio - Sony SBK46533
The Cleveland orchestra woodwind section of this era is as good as any past (or currently recorded) woodwind section.
The interpretive skill of Szell is legendary...GBK
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Author: larryb
Date: 2003-01-06 18:07
Carlos Kleiber and the Vienna - 1974 recording of the Fifth and Seventh.
These are wonderful recordings (would also recommend his Brahms 4!)
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Author: Rob Bell
Date: 2003-01-06 18:13
While we are at it why don't we talk about the Brahms too!
I have the Sawallisch with the Wien-Symphoniker its not great though
Rob
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Author: Brandon
Date: 2003-01-06 18:46
My favorite cycle has to be the recently issued set of the Berlin Philharmonic with Claudio Abbado. The tempi are more in the style of what Beethoven intended. Not to say that we really know if Beethoven's metronomic markings are actually true...but that is another beast in itself. The playing is some of the best I have heard. It is very clean and precise. There is just a lot of energy and beautiful music making going on. I also love the Szell cycle, but it seems to lack something that the Berlin cycle above has. Of couse I listen to this set alot for Marcellus in particular. The Chicago/Solti set is not one of my personal favorites, but their 7/8 is kick butt. Go horns. The old 1963 Karajan recording is considered one of the finest also. I am open to listening to most recordings, but anything that it done by Harnoncourt I stay away from. If I am not mistaken, his third movement of the sixth symphony is so dreadfully slow, anyone could tongue that lick! If you have not heard the new recording of the Berlin, I would highly suggest listening to it. It may take awhile to warm up to it, since it is different. But once you totally warm up to it, I think you will enjoy it.
Regarding Brahms, the Cleveland/Szell recordings are excellent of course. I enjoy the CSO/Solti recordings, especially the third movement of the First Symphony. I believe that the CSO gives more life to the music than the CO/Szell in the First Symphony. This is really what I look for in Brahms. I don't want an orchestra to take it so slow that that line and life to the music is lost. I am not a huge fan of the CSO, in fact it is one of the few major Eastern US orchestras I have not heard live, but I do enjoy Solti's Brahms.
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Author: Nick
Date: 2003-01-06 23:47
I've listened to a lot of recordings of the Brahms symphonies, and I still really don't find myself feeling one way or another. I like them all, and realize that they're different, especially in the way the tempo is taken.
I do tend to like recordings that play the string melody in the 4th movement of the first symphony pretty slowly. Also, the way the woodwinds blend into that just before it starts is beautiful. The Wiener Philharmoniker (I think that's what it is, I don't have the CD) with Simon Rattle is very nice.
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Author: d dow
Date: 2003-01-07 12:43
The Beethoven symphonies really provide any clarinet player with a total artistic challenge well worth its weight in gold. The rewards of playing the symphonies(I have done all), are what make orchestral work a total joy. For many reason as of late I have moved somewhat away from what is traditionally viewed as the popular idea of interpretation and now tend to look at a more rugged shape and view of these works.
For these reason I find Klemperer and Bohm truly epic in their idea and view of the works.. another very fine cycle is the Bruno Walter with some of the finest and crispest playing on Symphony No. 4.
I tend to put Szell and Karajan on par due to the faster speeds and more straightforward view of the outer movements. Sometimes they clock in at about 2 or three seconds apart from one another! I would also like to add that Szell spend a good deal of time in Berlin conducting Beethoven arund the time Toscannini was starting to interpret these works in a groundbreaking way. Don't forget that Szell spent a good deal of time working with Richard Strauss as well who left a great deal of interpretive ideals on conductors of this generation.
The Szell set in Cleveland is excellent and I will also mention a fairly good set now is the Leinsdorf on BMG with the Boston Symphony. Conductors like Klemperer and Szell both had an amzing influence on players and for years later it could be heard when even less conductors came to these groups to play Beethoven!
A word of mention should be made of the Karajan 63 set which is superb in all departments including sound and is very low priced! Berlin clarinetist Leister is really at his all time best so players should take a boo an listen to Symphony 2 with incredible solos by Leister.
Some of the strange interpreters of Beethoven I consider are
Barendboim
Stokowski
they seem to be a little too sleek for such granite music. thats a personal feeling thouvh.
All the best DD
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Author: ALOMARvelous12
Date: 2003-01-07 21:33
My high school orchestra is rehearsing Beethoven's Symphony number two in D Major currently. The second, smaller theme of the first movement is a nice little four measure melody that gets developed in the middle section and is first introduced by who else but the clarinets.
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2003-01-08 00:11
When I was writing my piece on the solos in the Beethoven 8th, I listened to about a dozen recordings. My favorite was John Eliot Gardiner conducting the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique, on period instruments. I'm pretty sure Eric Hoeprich plays the solos. I had expected to love the Szell/Cleveland/Marcellus version, but it fell strangely flat compared to the Gardiner, which is my first-place set even compared with Szell, Furtwangler and all the others. I don't know why, but I'm left unmoved by all except the very early Karajan performances.
I was raised on the Toscanini/NBC recordings, which are rooted so deep in my childhood that they feel like the only way to do it. I also have a wonderful LP set with Bruno Walter conducting the New York Philharmonic, except in the 6th, where he conducts Philadelphia, with McLane incomparable in the solos.Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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