The Beethoven cycle of the 21st century! Christian Thielemann’s and Wiener Philharmoniker’s recording of BEETHOVEN 9 had been their first recording in HD of all nine Beethoven symphonies, accompanied by nine hour-long documentaries, one on each symphony, featuring Thielemann and Prof. Joachim Kaiser. From insights into Beethoven’s musical thinking to interpretational comparisons, including excerpts from performances by Karajan, Böhm, Bernstein, Järvi etc., to historical perspectives – no aspect of Beethoven’s symphonic oeuvre will remain untreated! “Thielemann’s recordings of the Beethoven symphonies stand head and shoulders above the countless and mostly undistinguishable versions on offer.“ (Die Presse) “The Vienna Philharmonic literally grew beyond itself that evening in the Konzerthaus.“ (Neue Züricher Zeitung) Missa Solemnis: Thielemann “conjured up the gigantic cosmos of the Missa with such lightness and grace that its mystery seemed to reveal itself.“ (FAZ)

In the 1960s and in the decades following, the Budapest String Quartet’s mantle at Columbia was passed on to the Juilliard String Quartet. Over the years, with some changes in personnel, the ensemble repeatedly set down its famously lean, energetic and expressive interpretations of the Beethoven quartets in New York recording studios. These have remained catalogue staples. Less well known is the Beethoven cycle they recorded live in Washington at the Library of Congress in 1982. Gramophone singled out this complete traversal for its special depth and flexibility. Presented here on 9 albums, this is its first Sony release.

REVIEW:

The slow introduction to the C Major Quartet No. 9 is handled wonderfully, which sets up well for the rest of the movement and the work as a whole. These are followed by nice recordings of the “Harp” and “Serioso” quartets, thus bringing the middle period to an end.

The late quartets open with a really nice recording of the Nos. 12 and 13, with the first of these being particularly fine. The final disc of the nine houses the 15th and 16th quartets, which again receive fairly good recordings. Overall, the tempos selected here tend to be slower than in their earlier recording, which is usual for live recordings.

Overall sound quality is, at times, a bit of an issue here, even taking into account the live nature of these recordings, and overall isn't up to the sound quality of the quartet's highly regarded 1960s studio cycle of these works for RCA.

– MusicWeb International

Hollow pathos is not his thing. From an artist like Mariss Jansons Friedrich Schiller's Ode: ''An die Freude'' must receive a far deeper significance, which also fully encompasses the doubt and profound hope embodied in this text. And thus, in Jansson's recording of the Ninth Symphony, the choral finale does not degenerate to mere superficial orgy of jubilation, but rather becomes a delicately balanced, wisely developed drama. On October 27, 2007 teh Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks played Beethoven's Ninth in the presence of the Pope in the Vatican. The recording of this memorable concert is now being released by Br-Klassik.

Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 6, 8 & König Stephan Overture

CENTURY: SYMPHONY 1&7

It is always a milestone in the artistic work of the Berliner Philharmoniker when, together with their chief conductor, they play the complete symphonies of Ludwig van Beethoven. Under the direction of chief conductor Sir Simon Rattle, the cycle was performed at the end of 2015 – in Berlin, Paris, Vienna and New York. The reaction was overwhelming, and audiences responded with standing ovations to performances which impressively revealed the virtuosity and revolutionary energy of the works. The recording of the Berlin performances is now available in an exclusive hardcover edition which includes the cycle on CD as well as in HD video and high-resolution audio on Blu-ray. This beautifully produced edition includes many extras including a video introduction with Sir Simon Rattle and a documentary about the making of the recordings.

In short, these performances are excellent. There are others in the catalogue that match the individual readings, but as a coupling of symphonies 4 and 7, this disc is unbeatable.

For some reason, when Sony withdrew its Essential Classics catalogue from circulation and began to reissue the range in a newly generic livery, this disc from Szell's classic Beethoven cycle never managed to find its way back onto the shelves. Why Sony would have reissued the rest of the cycle and left these performances out is a mystery. It is certainly not a question of quality, as these recordings are among the best in Szell's cycle. Perhaps it was overlooked in the course of the merger of Sony and BMG. Perhaps it was a ploy to frustrate collectors into forking out for the "Original Jackets" box of the symphonies. Whatever the reason, if you began collecting the Essential Classics releases and missed this disc while it was still available, then you owe it to yourself to snap it up now.

Often when listening to Beethoven recordings from the past, one needs to adjust one's mindset slightly. Beethoven, in those days, tended to be a heavy and heroic establishment figure, rather than reinvigorated revolutionary we are accustomed to hearing today, thanks to the efforts of the period performance movement. Not so with Szell. His cycle may be roughly contemporary with Karajan's set with the Berlin Philharmonic, but he elicits a lighter, crisper sound from his Clevelanders that is much more in line with the Beethoven we are now used to.

There is a received wisdom that Szell's lighter and pacier approach to Beethoven was essentially Toscanini's approach in stereo sound. This is not at all the case. Szell was certainly particular when it came to precision and clarity of articulation, but he also balances the power of Beethoven with the composer's humour and delicacy.

Both the fourth and the seventh symphonies receive excellent performances here, shaped with characteristic thought for structure, rhythmic pulse and close attention to dynamic contrasts. Tempi are superbly judged in both performances. Szell is never too quick, and never drags. The final movement of the fourth is the only place where I felt a little more pace was warranted, though it remains rhythmically pointed and precisely articulated.

There is plenty of mystery to the atmosphere of the introduction to the fourth's first movement. It almost sounds like Berlioz. Then the allegro vivace that follows explodes into joyful existence. The Cleveland Orchestra bring considerable brio to this performance and you cannot help being dazzled as they point up contrasts between the lyrical and the rambunctious in Beethoven's score. The adagio has great beauty but remains rhythmically taut. In Szell's hands it is delectably dance-like. The scherzo is actually quite funny, with the questioning woodwinds quizzing the cavorting strings.

Of modern readings of this symphony, I find Vänska's to be the most satisfying and the one which, more than any other I have heard, makes this symphony sound like an integrated whole, fully the equal of – though very different to – the fifth, rather than a brilliant experiment in rhythmic contrasts and orchestral colouring. Haitink's dancing account with the LSO is also superb – one of the best recordings of his cycle on LSO Live. Szell's performance is just as good, and any sonic reservations are amply offset by the excellence of his orchestra.

The opening of the first movement of the seventh again demonstrates Szell's ability to balance the power of these symphonies with sensitivity. He hits the accents hard, though, and once past the poco sostenuto introduction, the vivace is terrifically exciting. As in the fourth, he brings gravitas and integrity to the “slow” movement (if a flowing allegretto can be said to be slow). The scherzo sparkles and the final allegro con brio dances. This is a wonderful performance, and the playing of the Cleveland Orchestra is incredible. The whooping of the horns and the buzz of the strings at the symphony's close is exhilarating.

Of course there are many other great sevenths in the catalogue. Carlos Kleiber's recording with the Vienna Philharmonic remains unique in it power and drive, and of recent recordings Haitink's recent effort on LSO Live, like his fourth, is one of the highlights of his cycle – exciting and involving from first note to last. Szell is worth hearing, though. More than that, in bringing out Beethoven's lyricism without sacrificing anything in power, he has something distinctive to say.

The overture to King Stephen makes an excellent encore. Szell's reading has plenty of sparkle and is never rushed, though the recorded sound is a bit flat and brash. To be honest, all of these recordings are beginning to show their age, but the slightly dry acoustic is no great hindrance and helps the precision of the orchestra hit home all the harder.

In short, these performances are excellent. There are others in the catalogue that match the individual readings, but as a coupling of symphonies 4 and 7, this disc is unbeatable.

-- Tim Perry, MusicWeb International

The opportunity to celebrate, in 2020, the 250th birthday of Ludwig van Beethoven alongside the 30th anniversary of German reunification is akin to a gift for a label that has been instrumental in preserving the recording heritage of the GDR, offering as it does the opportunity for a retrospective view and assessment of the past. This series with 10 new editions from the archive of ETERNA recordings includes audio productions from the early days of the label as well as later productions from the late 80s. Partly remastered from the original tapes and provided with the original covers, these historic-legendary recordings shine in new glamour. The present volume presents sonatas for piano and violin, performed by Karl Suske and Walter Olbertz.

BEETHOVEN: SYMPHONY NO 3 LEIN

PENTATONE’s third release from Rafael Kubelik’s acclaimed Beethoven cycle of symphonies in its Remastered Classics series is his commanding reading of the sixth, seventh and eighth symphonies performed by the Orchestre de Paris, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Cleveland Orchestra. Sometimes known as the “hymn to humour”, the genial eighth symphony sits as an intriguing gem between the imposing seventh and stupendous ninth symphonies. In a performance described as “light-footed and bristling with energy” (AllMusic), Kubelik captures the work’s essentially irreverent spirit with vibrant and colourful playing from the Cleveland Orchestra. Rafael Kubelik recorded his cycle of Beethoven symphonies in the 1970s for Deutsche Grammophon, each with a different orchestra, earning widespread praise. Although recorded in multi-channel sound, these unmissable performances have previously been available only in the conventional two-channel stereo format. Using state of the art technology which avoids the need for re-mixing, PENTATONE’s engineers have remastered the original studio tapes to bring the performances to life as originally intended: in compelling and pristine multi-channel sound. Other releases from PENTATONE in the Kubelik Beethoven cycle are the Symphonies 1 & 4 (with the London Symphony Orchestra and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra) and Symphonies 2 & 5 (with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and the Boston Symphony Orchestra).

Around 1800 Vienna was, alongside Paris, one of the European centers for guitar performance. The instrument was well suited for the idiom of Viennese classicism and ideal for domestic music-making and it was promoted by figures such as the virtuoso Mauro Giuliani and the composer/publisher Anton Diabelli. But Beethoven, the towering giant of musical Vienna, seems to have been unmoved by the charms of the guitar – while instead composing for its sibling, the mandolin. Duo Halász, the husband and wife team of Franz and Débora Halász have now rectified this, by appropriating Beethoven’s four extant pieces for mandolin and piano (WoO?43 and 44) as well as adapting some other early compositions, including the Serenade in D major for flute and piano and the Variations on Mozart’s ‘Se vuol ballare’ for violin and piano. In doing so they follow the example of an eminent guitarist and contemporary of Beethoven, namely Ferdinando Carulli, whose 1825 arrangement of the Variations on Mozart’s ‘Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen’ closes the programme. Franz and Débora Halász have made a number of recordings for BIS, together and separately, to critical acclaim, including a Latin Grammy Award for their disc Alma Brasileira with chamber works by Radamés Gnattali.

The award-winning duo ensemble formed by Christian Tetzlaff and Lars Vogt are returning to the masterworks of European chamber music with this new album that includes Ludwig van Beethoven’s three violin sonatas from Op. 30.

The expressive and intimate chamber music recordings by the star duo have gathered numerous awards and their previous album also received an ECHO Klassik award in 2017. Beethoven wrote his three Violin Sonatas Op. 30 in 1801 and 1802. They are relatively early works but already pointing towards the direction of Beethoven’s revolutionary 3rd Symphony, Eroica, which was completed in 1803. Although the influence of Haydn is still visible, in these sonatas Beethoven created movements in all the sonatas that are completely untypical and that had never existed before in this way. No wonder that these delightful works belong to the artists’ favorite works by the great composer.

REVIEWS:

Christian Tetzlaff and Lars Vogt make a formidable team: technically right at the top of their game (Tetzlaff’s bow control is phenomenal), and yet at the same time always managing to convey the notion of taking risks.

-- BBC Music Magazine

This is chamber-playing at its most humane; impossible to hear without feeling a renewed love and admiration for music and performers alike.

-- Gramophone

For a string player, Beethoven’s 16 quartets are of an importance similar to that of his sonatas to a pianist, or his symphonies to a conductor. As a body they form the culmination of all the chamber music composed before them, and to this day they remain a benchmark for every composer of string quartets. The Chiaroscuro Quartet begin their cycle of these works at the same place as Beethoven did, with the Op. 18 set which occupied him intensively for the best part of two years (1798 – 1800). The effort he put into these quartets was surely due to the fact that he had much to live up to – they would be measured against those of Haydn and Mozart, who had raised the genre to a supreme vehicle for ‘learned’ taste and subtle, civilized musical discourse. Beethoven was clearly determined that the six Op.?18 quartets should present the widest possible overview of his art. Of the three works included on this first volume, No.?1 in F major is the most imposing in scale and the widest in expressive range. In comparison, the second quartet, in G major, is more urbane and light-hearted, recreating the spirit of an eighteenth-century comedy of manners à la Haydn. The most lyrical of the set is Quartet No.?3 in D major, which despite its numbering was probably the first quartet that Beethoven completed.

REVIEW:

Quartet 3 in D major is the most striking, its first movement all surprises. Surprise 1 is its sense of improvisation, well conveyed by Alina Ibragimova. Surprise 2 is Ibragimova seamlessly introducing a second theme determinedly enjoying life. Surprise 3 is the cello, laying down a backcloth of octave leap then descent in quavers while the upper parts’ third theme comprises a spurting ascent and triumph of hammered crotchets. Surprise 4, all instruments together in a fourth theme of gracious chordal stability. Surprise 5, a crashing call to attention. Surprise 6: the development casts the opening theme in D minor. Surprise 7, a crisis with a surround of writhing quavers and conclusion of ff quavers in triplets by all. Surprise 8, a sudden calm and recapitulation. Surprise 9: the coda, Ibragimova bringing gazing, mystical questioning to that opening theme, the fourth theme response relieving it to return on an even keel, comfortably displayed by second violin and cello and enthusiastically validated by Ibragimova.

In the Andante con moto, the Chiaroscuros demonstrate the idée fixe of an opening theme progressing satisfyingly: just two largely rising sequences followed by two falling ones. The playful second theme is fastidiously pointed by Ibragimova and colleagues in turn. Soon comes an exploration of more sombre, questioning aspects of the first theme in a kind of variation proposed by first violin and cello and cast in pale sunlight, a striking effect from the Chiaroscuros’ gut strings, by first and second violins. Contrasted is the return of the second theme’s playfulness, then a wonderfully rounded, contrapuntally rich ‘variation’ of the first theme In the coda the cello brings a final observation of the shadowy low, and from first violin high, boundaries of the theme.

The third movement is an Allegro stylish dance from the Chiaroscuros, not labelled Minuet, not a Scherzo. It’s full of nuances well caught by the Chiaroscuros: pauses, rests and a sense of searching out the light. The ‘Trio’ in D minor has the second violin initiating running quavers, then the first taking them into upper register, the others treading saturninely the four-note ground bass Bach used in his Partita 2 for solo violin Ciaccona.

The Presto finale is an incisive display of rhythmic displacement, dynamic and textural contrasts, its development climax powerful. It sounds quite like 20th century music for strings. The Chiaroscuros deliver it with taste and polish, their coda both triumphant and carefree. The Dovers go for a lighter approach which, while matched by good contrast of accents and dynamics, doesn’t have the edge and tricksiness of the Chiaroscuros.

Best of the rest? In Quartet 1 in F major, the Adagio slow movement in D minor, marked affettuoso ed appassionato. From Ibragimova’s mournful first violin arioso there’s a vivid sense of exploring as well as experiencing this atmosphere of grief. Light comes with the F major second theme, started by second violin and sweetened by the first, a meditation extended by the viola, second and first violin in sustained, unhurried and unharried communion by the Chiaroscuros. Pianissimo reflection then moves suddenly to f despair, the Chiaroscuros gaunt and uncompromising, but becalmed by the first violin and viola in turn dwelling on the opening four notes of the first theme, so that also subject to meditation. Come the recapitulation of the first theme, after its first phrase the first violin is assaulted by the second and viola, to which it responds with movingly plaintive eloquence. The second theme return consoles, but D major sunlight is wintrier than F major. In the coda, the first violin takes frenzied flight in hemidemisemiquavers in septuplets, Claire Thirion’s cello staunchly maintains the first theme attacked by both violins. A crashing ff discord climax releases the first violin to muse in pitying empathy.

In Quartet 2 in G major, best is the finale, Allegro molto, quasi-Presto. The Chiaroscuros point well the soft, trim first theme before arrestingly sprightly loud wake-up. Then Thirion’s very loud entry of the theme, grittily delivered while Ibragimova half shrieks an equally determined counter motif, yet soon exchanges this for a delicate second theme, demurely echoed by Emilie Hörnlund’s viola, before a delightful sequence of luxuriant yawns from Ibragimova, before launching into a sylphlike dance. This provokes a bold re-entry of the first theme by second violin and viola with Ibragimova in wildly dazzling descant. The true first theme recapitulation begins quite docile, but Ibragimova decamps in showers of semiquavers. Thereafter the Chiaroscuros memorably keep the texture light, illuminating the contrapuntal ingenuity. The coda has a nicely pointed pp start before a crescendo to the scintillating ff close.

– MusicWeb International (Michael Greenhalgh)

In November 1949, at the age of eight, Idil Biret entered the studios of ORTF (Radiodiffusion Television Francaise) in Paris and made her first recordings; these were works by Couperin, Bach, Beethoven and Debussy. In the following decades she made nearly 100 LPs and CDs, released on ten record labels (Pretoria, Vega, Decca, Atlantic/Finnadar, Pantheon, EMI, Naxos, Marco Polo, Alpha, BMP) and many recordings for radio and television stations around the world. These included the complete piano works of Brahms, Chopin and Rachmaninov as well as the Sonatas of Boulez and the Etudes of Ligeti. The Idil Biret Archive (IBA) is now bringing together her past and present recording; as the copyrights are obtained, old recordings no longer available commercially are being released together with her new recordings. The transcriptions by Liszt of Beethoven's Symphonies, originally recorded for EMI, and the newly recorded 32 Sonatas and all the Piano Concertos of Beethoven were released by IBA and also made available in a box set. All the Piano Concertos of Liszt, Tchaikovsky, Schumann and Grieg and the nine LPs recorded for Atlantic/Finnadar in New York which include works by Boulez, Webern, Berg, Ravel and Stravinsky were also released. The present album features Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas Pathetique, Moonlight, Waldstein, and Appassionata. IBA is distributed worldwide by Naxos.

The four players named above constituted the Busch Quartet from 1930 to 1945. They left Hitler's Germany in 1933 and by the outbreak of the war were settled in America. During the thirties they recorded among much other music all the late Beethoven quartets except this one; to quote the sleeve-note, this omission was put right in 1941 when the Busch Quartet made its first recordings for CBS in America. Its quality is astonishingly good apart from some deterioration towards the end of the finale, better than in the Busch recording of the three Beethoven Quartets I wrote about last January (World Records mono SHB27/1-2, p. 136), but the playing, though superlative at its best, is not quite as consistent as in the A minor Op. 132. An irrelevant criticism, perhaps, for in truth this record by the best of all pre-war quartets (as I think) deserves to be welcomed with open arms.

Adolf Busch himself had the most beautiful tone quality, a marvellous understanding of transitional passages (listen, for instance, to the return of the opening tune in the second movement), and an unusually delicate staccato.

The latter helps to make this performance of the third movement the most exquisite I have ever heard; the touch of skittishness is just right (and I hope you are not put off by this word). The tempo, faster than is usual today, also seems just right. Things do not go quite as well in the Alla danza tedesca. Again the tempo is faster than usual; Busch had noticed the Allegro assai marking and, unlike almost all other groups, he tried to take it literally. But the result sounds as though the music has been pushed too hard, and the ensemble slips a little in the middle. The Cavatina is a little soupy in the opening section. Busch scoops here and there in the main tune, as he also does in the second subject of the first movement, the tune that starts with a rising sixth. The odd thing is that quite often when the other players have the same lime there is not a trace of a portamento. Today I think we tend to hold up our hands in exaggerated horror at this trick from the past, and it is worth remembering that in the thirties Busch was frequently praised because he scooped so rarely; as opposed to Lener who did it all the time. I have- made much too much of' the small failings, in the Busch performance of the Cavatina. Much of it is very Moving, and the central recitative-like section finds Busch himself at his superb best. But all four players are in the very first rank ; one remembers particularly the cellist—a brother of the Quartet's leader—in the finale. Here the relaxed tempo is precisely judged as is the delicate humour of the music. I would expect this record to be broadcast at reasonably-spaced intervals until the end of time. It is, as they say, a classic.

-- Gramophone [11/1975, reviewing Op. 130 on LP]