George J
Herefordshire member
There are three Overtures called Leonore, and one called Fidelio. A fascinating development is found in the three Leonores, and the Fidelio is completely different. The trouble is that each time time Beethoven expanded the Leonore material he came closer to making an entire exposition of the complete opera before even the curtain went up! As Wagner stated of the third variant. "Beethoven gives us the whole thing in a quarter of an hour, and then expects us to listen to it a second time ..." Wagner liked Leonore Overture Number Three, but did not like the finished complete Fidelio. The opera is a strange piece, unless appreciated as a cross between a morality play and an expression of [impossible] idealism, rather than anything that makes much sense as true to life ...
Here are three performances of Leonore Number One. A pair from Toscanini and one from Klemperer:
Recorded with BBC SO in the old Queens hall before 1939 by EMI. We had this recording on HMV shellac at school, and my goodness it is a white knuckle ride! Superb in my book.
Live from the NBC, and here [during the War] Toscanini is more expansive, and if anything, more intense as well. Superb, but my third in order of preference here.
Here we have the Philharmonia in its early glory days under Otto Klemperer, whose tempi are just as quick as Toscanini, but somehow Klemperer [for me at least] digs into an entirely greater expressive level than Toscanini. I know that is a subject and an immeasurable view, but I find the phrasing much more subtle and flexible. It is also a counter to the idea of Klemperer being a slow old fella, who laboured music with doggedly tedious slow tempi. That is really only true of his music making, and then only sometimes [he was a severe manic depressive], from the mid nineteen-sixties.
I hope you may enjoy this more recherché Beethoven in three wonderful performances.
Please do choose you own favourite, or even post a link to another you like even more.
Best wishes from George
Here are three performances of Leonore Number One. A pair from Toscanini and one from Klemperer:
Recorded with BBC SO in the old Queens hall before 1939 by EMI. We had this recording on HMV shellac at school, and my goodness it is a white knuckle ride! Superb in my book.
Live from the NBC, and here [during the War] Toscanini is more expansive, and if anything, more intense as well. Superb, but my third in order of preference here.
Here we have the Philharmonia in its early glory days under Otto Klemperer, whose tempi are just as quick as Toscanini, but somehow Klemperer [for me at least] digs into an entirely greater expressive level than Toscanini. I know that is a subject and an immeasurable view, but I find the phrasing much more subtle and flexible. It is also a counter to the idea of Klemperer being a slow old fella, who laboured music with doggedly tedious slow tempi. That is really only true of his music making, and then only sometimes [he was a severe manic depressive], from the mid nineteen-sixties.
I hope you may enjoy this more recherché Beethoven in three wonderful performances.
Please do choose you own favourite, or even post a link to another you like even more.
Best wishes from George
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