Furtwangler Conducts Beethoven - Beethoven: symphonies no 3,4,5, & 9, Leonore

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 Amazon.com essential recording

Beethoven's dream come true...

Furtwangler's wartime Beethoven is the only truly important music recording made, and stands as one of mankind's greatest achievements. Warning: Your sanity may be at risk. The peak of the set for me is the 2nd movement of the 5th. Words fail. If you have a soul, buy this. You will never be the same.
September 13, 2008

Great Beethoven!!; Great Furtwangler!!

I am a big fan of Furtwangler and a lover of Beethoven. This set, while not perfect, is really special.

For me, music is an emotional experience, not intellectual. What counts is whether a performance moves me emotionally. These performances clearly do, but some more than others. If a performance is less than perfect metronomically, or in some other way deviates from original scoring,that is not important to me, as long as it is emotionally moving.

The 3rd symphony is a great performance. I also have Furtwangler's performance on EMI from 1952 with the VPO. I would consider them comparable, with a slight edge to the one in this set. A great and moving performance.

The Coriolan is, as another reviewer said,"extraordinary;" Unquestionably, in my view, the best performance ever given this overture. The Leonore is also great, although not quite the best ever. You will not be disappointed with this Leonore in the least; a great performace.

The 5th and 6th are the weakest parts of this set in my opinion. I prefer both the 1950 VPO performance of the 5th on EMI (Also containing the 7th, and at $5.99, the biggest steal that I know of) and the 1947 BPO performance on Bellaphon. That is not to say that this 5th is poor; it is extremely good and superior to that of most other conductors. I merely make the point that I prefer (slightly) two other performances by this conductor. But this fifth is a fine one.I would put it on a par with the performance by Kleiber.

The 6th has always been Furtwangler's weakest Beethoven symphony. The one in the set is not bad; the 1947 BPO is far worse. But the 6th calls for a light touch, which Furtwangler lacked. If you want a good 6th, you should get Bruno Walter's performance.

The 4th and the 7th are both the best performances of these two symphonies that I have ever heard. The opening movement of the 4th is just unbeleiveable. I also have the Furtwangler 4th from 1952 with the VPO on EMI and this one is much better.

I also have the 7th with the BPO in 1953 on DGG and with the VPO in 1954 on EMI. While I love both of those performances, I think this one better. It is a hair-raising performance.

Yes, I have the Furtwangler performance from 1951 in Bayreuth. It has been one of my "desert island" performances for years. It is legendary. This ninth is better in almost every way. It has an intensity and white-hot emotional fervor that few performances have. This entire set is worth the price just to hear this performance.

I noticed a couple of reviewers complained about the sonics. They have to be kidding. The sonics on these recordings are great. They are as good as you will ever find on mono recording from performances in front of a live audience. There is literally no hiss, hum and the audieince noise is minimal. The engineers who did this transfer really did a superlative job.

For anyone who loves Beethoven, for anyone who loves Furtwangler's performances, for anyone who finds great music perfomed greatly as emotionally uplifting, this set is mandatory and quite phenomenal. July 4, 2008

I cringed.

This one disappointed me. My reference is the Abbado (not that it's the Holy Grail either) and this was quite mannered by comparison. Not to take away from its genuine importance to historians, completists and fans of this style. For me - and probably only me - the problem is the phrasing and rhythm. I can hear its era, the innocent syncopation of the day. It reminds me of Snow White. (Kill me)

The performance must have been impressive, judging by the zealous reviewing going on here, but it didn't speak to me that way.

No loss. I am always interested to hear how music evolves over the decades. Recording technologies are not the only thing to advance. June 20, 2008

Furtwangler's Beethoven

This set belongs next to Schnabel's piano sonatas and the Busch's string quartets as one of the great Beethoven sets in recorded history. There certainly is no better monetary value for Furtwangler's Beethoven. The 3rd, 4th, and 9th are especially definitive. Compared to Furtwangler's later performances, these are tighter, more intense, and faster-paced. It is mainly in the 6th and 7th that you miss the warmer Furtwangler of his later recordings.

No. 3 is intense, concentrated, and perfectly proportioned. I differ with some who consider the 12/8/52 to be Furtwangler's greatest 3rd. While the sound of that one is fantastic, to my ear it is just the slightest bit more slack in concentration when compared to the '44. In any case, these are easily the two best recordings of the work available, and they are both essential. Listen to the '52 for beauty of sound and phrases lengthened to their max, but the '44 would still be my desert island 3rd.

No. 4 is simply the greatest performance on record, giving a whole new level of emotional depth to this symphony.

No. 5 is for many Furtwangler's best. It is certainly well-played and perfectly proportioned. There are several Furtwangler recordings of No. 5 that are deserving of attention, and choosing between them is a matter of strong debate. For me, the two that arise above all others are the 5/23/54 and 5/25/47. The '54 is simply astounding. It is a perfect performance in fantastic sound for its time. It really knocks you out of your chair. This is the recording for people who want to know what all the fuss was about Furtwangler's Beethoven. (How on Earth did the man conduct like this just 6 months before his death?) The '47 is also special for its edge-of-your-seat spontanaity. While not as good in sound quality as the '54, it is more fleet and rhythmically free. The rousing coda of the finale has to be heard to be believed - Furtwangler at his most magical. There is also a deleted DG recording two days later in better sound, but not quite as inspired. The '44 is still a great performance, but for me Furtwangler reached greater heights in these two later recordings.

No. 6 is one that perhaps misses some of the warmth of Furtwangler's later recordings. It is still a great one, particularly in the storm, and the playing of the Berlin Philharmonic is magnificent. You really get the sense of the storm slowly subsiding and sunshine peering through the clouds in the final movement. Like the 5th's with which they are paired, the 5/23/54 and 5/25/47 are the performances that show Furtwangler at his best. The '54 is pretty definitive and in great sound.

No. 7 is exciting and dramatic. Though it has much to recommend it (listen to the beautiful tempo fluctuations in the scherzo), I sometimes miss the more patient pacing of Furtwangler's later recordings. The '53 DG recording is probably his best, with excellent tempo transitions and a rousing conclusion to the finale. The sound is also very present and clean for the period. The '50 EMI recording is not far behind.

No. 9 is simply the greatest orchestral recording ever made of anything. Yes, some will say it is too intense, but what else do you want with this symphony? You simply cannot go back to other interpretations after hearing this one. Only the '51 Bayreuth performance comes close. That one is a good alternative for hearing cleaner sound and some strong brass playing. The '54 Lucerne is by far the best-sounding. However, it does not have the same intensity as the other two. By comparison, it almost sounds tired. Of course this is all relative: The '54 Lucerne still puts every other recorded version after Furtwangler in the shade. And then there is also the '37, which is dimly recorded but still exhibiting Furtwangler's unique intensity.

And let us not forget the overtures, particularly the '43 Coriolan. Along with the '42 9th, this is also one of the greatest orchestral recordings ever made. Astounding drama and concentration. Unfortunately, Furtwangler's definitive '47 Egmont on DG is not presently available.

In short, run out and grab this set while also complementing it with a few of Furtwangler's later recordings. My desert island choices for Furtwangler's Beethoven symphonies would be:

3rd: '44 and 12/8/52, 4th: '43, 5th & 6th: 5/25/47 and 5/23/54, 7th: '53, 9th: '42 and '51 April 14, 2007

Amazing! Outstanding! Essential!

This set collects some of the greatest and awesome Beethoven interpretations in world history. Their classical status is unmatched: at the conductor's rostrum, we have Wilhelm Furtwängler at the height of his exceptional understanding of Beethoven's music. The context of the recordings is WWII, mainly in the wartime Germany (of course, Vienna belonged to Germany after the 1938 "Anschluss", but I choose to see Vienna as the capital of Austria). Like some other great artists and intellectuals, Furtwängler decided to stay in Germany during the Second World War. But unlike disgusting opportunists like von Karajan, he never joined the Nazi party - in fact, he even refused to shake Hitler's hand.

Of course, Furtwängler's impeccable moral contributes to his greatness. Just listen to his magnificent ninth, with its humanist message. It's a breathtaking performance that should move everyone to tears.

Here are the recordings dates of the performances in this box:

Symphony 3: Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, 19-20 December, 1944.
Symphony 4: Berlin Philharmonic, 27-30 June, 1943.
Symphony 5: Berlin Philharmonic, 27-30 June, 1943.
Symphony 6: Berlin Philharmonic, 20-22 March, 1944.
Symphony 7: Berlin Philharmonic, 31 October-3 November, 1943.
Symphony 9: Berlin Philharmonic, 22-24 March 1942. (Solists are Tilla Briem, Peter Anders, Elisabeth Höngen, and Rudolf Watzke.)

Music & Arts' remasterings (made by Maggi Payne) are very good. Of course, what we have here are old mono, live recordings, so don't expect HiFi quality. But what you can expect are recordings of the century, essential for any music collection.

Strongly and warmly recommended! April 11, 2007

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