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Beethoven...

I

Interzone

pfm Member
...having listened to one of the 'complete EMI recordings' boxsets I purchased a while ago I have realised I really like beethoven. Some recommendations for recordings to purchase please. :)
 
Interzone said:
...having listened to one of the 'complete EMI recordings' boxsets I purchased a while ago I have realised I really like beethoven. Some recommendations for recordings to purchase please. :)
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http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000063WRQ/?tag=pinkfishmedia-20


I know for a fact this was engineered using only a jecklin disc and a pair of omnis... the epitome of a "purist" recording. Superbly engineered by simon eadon.

Grammy, etc. one of my references for how a chamber ensemble should sound....., how a recording of such should be, etc..
 
I would caution against Brendel, by whom I've never been convinced. The Paul Lewis set on HM is very well played if you want a modern set.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0027YUK8Y/?tag=pinkfishmedia-21

The Kempf mono would be my goto as a first recommendation. http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0000012XC/?tag=pinkfishmedia-21

The Norrington and Karajan 63 mentioned above are both great, and worth owning both, as they're so different. Kleiber's 4 & 6 on Orfeo are superb.

The likes of Toscanini, Schnabel, Busch Qt should not be ignored, even though the SQ is somewhat wanting.
 
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lennyw said:
I would caution against Brendel, by whom I've never been convinced.
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I would OTOH heartily recommend Brendel, especially in the Beethoven piano sonatas. Lovely performances. Good sound quality (not the absolute best but very good).
The Kempf cycle is wonderful but the recording is quite a bit older.
 
PsB said:
Seconded. Excellent performance and superb recording.
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yeah man!

BTW, a bit of recording technology information.

The recording was done using this.

mercenary-audio_2201_33638793


with two Schoeps CMC62S omnidirectional microphones.

this consists of the Schoeps CMC 6 body and the Omni Caps, MK2S(this is an omni with a slight presence lift to offset HF loss in the diffuse field)

The Jecklin (OSS) Technique-
http://www.mercenary.com/opstsirewije.html

so yeah, thats how it was done. 8 feet up and 2 feet from the group!
 
For the late piano sonatas, the recordings by Alfred Brendels are my favourites, the mid-70s recordings. But its all so personal, the differences between one pianist and another are often not enormous, and your mood may be one way or another when you listen to them.
I once tried an Ashkenazy recording of the late sonatasand did not like it at all, I found it a bit melodramatic compared to Brendel's tense understatement. But some people love Ashkenazy's playing, so you really have to decide for yourself.
 
Some more:
Symphonies: the Osmo Vänskä cycle with the Minnesota Orch. is excellent and well recorded; well worth digging out from the piles of Beethoven symphonies available.
Quartets: the Quartetto Italiano cycle is very good. Decent sound, gutsy yet balanced performance. Good price on the CD box set these days.
Emperor piano concerto (No 5): i like the live recording of Michelangeli/Giulini with the Vienna Philharmonic, otherwise there are many excellent studio versions (Perahia/Haitink with the Concertgebouw is one of the more recent ones).
Violin concerto: Perlman/Giulini/Philharmonia orchestra, or Tetzlaff/Zinman/Zürich Tonhalle or Zehetmayr/Brüggen ("period" instruments), just to stick to some of the more recent recordings.
Triple concerto: Oistrakh-Rostropovich-Richter/Karajan/BPO or Aimard-Zehetmayr-Hagen/Harnoncourt.
A curiosity: his Fantasia in C minor for piano, choir and orchestra Op 80 (aka Choral Fantasy) is a lovely piece that prefigures the 9th symphony (same theme and almost the same tune for the big choral moment). I actually prefer it in some ways to the 9th: it lasts only 20' and is bright and witty. I have the Barenboim/Klemperer version that is perhaps not the last word in recording quality. I have read a rave review of the version by La Grimaud with Esa-Pekka Salonen on DG which made me want to get her Credo CD, and there is a Bronfman/Zinman version which is rumoured to be very good too.
 
There was an article in BBC music magazine in which contemporary conductors gave their recommendations and the unanimous vote was for Carlos Kleiber (on DG). That squares with the Penguin guide. Abbado also well thought of - I have his 9th which is very good although that symphony does divide opinions.
However, if you use CDs, you can afford to experiment and decide for yourself at a fiver each.
 
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Tony L said:
How does the Kempf mono stack up against his 1965 stereo?
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Put very shortly: he was younger. I must confess to having not heard the latter cycle as closely as I perhaps should have, but I found the playing a tad more mannered, and at times feeling as though he lacked the technique he had 10 years earlier. (There are in fact three, but the earlier one is from the '30s and a tough listen from an SQ point of view).

I remember BBCR3 had it as their disc of the week when the set was released (in the '90s?), and I never tire of it.

For a lesson in conducting Beethoven, this is a must purchase:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00030EIXW/?tag=pinkfishmedia-21

Look out for his glance to the timpanist in the last mov of the 7th. The timpani is/are out of tune, and Kleiber reaches for his ear while looking in the Timpanist's direction, and repeats the look without the hand gesture next time around to say "Still not quite"!
(2'11 & 2'24)
 
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mjw said:
There was an article in BBC music magazine in which contemporary conductors gave their recommendations and the unanimous vote was for Carlos Kleiber (on DG).
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The problem with Kleiber is that he recorded so little... there is only his 5 & 7 on DG, and a couple of live recordings on Orfeo - the Bavarian RSO live 7th is even better IMO than the DG Vienna Phil. Apart from that there may be a few more unofficial live recordings around, but not a complete view unfortunately.
 
That was also acknowledged. His tendency was to do what he knew and loved very well rather than open it out into a full series.
I have to admit that I've listened to music with reviews in mind and often not recognised what is lauded or criticised about a performance. Oh well, you can take the boy out of Doncaster but you can't etc etc.
 
OK, have bought a couple of thos and will see how I go.

I think as I have quite a few older recordings in the 3 different EMI box sets I have that I would also like some modern, high quality, dynamic CDs with good performances thrown in for good measure. Am I asking too much?
 
Interzone said:
OK, have bought a couple of thos and will see how I go.

I think as I have quite a few older recordings in the 3 different EMI box sets I have that I would also like some modern, high quality, dynamic CDs with good performances thrown in for good measure. Am I asking too much?
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are you asking for seperate recordings than the ones asked for in this thread?


if so..

Lux Aeterna- Lauridsen(RCM)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000006OF1/?tag=pinkfishmedia-20

Arvo Part- Te Deum(ECM)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000024ZDF/?tag=pinkfishmedia-20

Ludus Danielus- FOne
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003F4JKOU/?tag=pinkfishmedia-20

lily and the lamb- nonesuch
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000007EH/?tag=pinkfishmedia-20

symphony of sorrowful songs- nonesuch
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000005J1C/?tag=pinkfishmedia-20

Tiny Island
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000E64YK/?tag=pinkfishmedia-20

Medtner Skazki
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000NIWICC/?tag=pinkfishmedia-20

Superb Voice
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000002ZFF/?tag=pinkfishmedia-20
 
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