Ludwig van Beethoven: Freedom Above All Else an Audio Biography by Jorg Handstein is racked by revolution, wars, fears and hopes and music, too. "In instrumental music, art is independent and free" that is the proud claim of the Romantic movement, and Ludwig van Beethoven implements this new artistic ideal thrillingly in his works. In the 10-part audio biography "Freedom Above All Else", J�rg Handstein tells the story of Beethoven's life. The panoramic backdrop of great historical events makes the highly personal story of this radical individualist all the more gripping. A major role is played by the music, which constantly follows new paths and is powerful, profound, eccentric, poetic, sensual and philosophical. This audio experience is rounded off by excellent actors, most notably Udo Wachtveitl as the narrator and Cornelius Obonya as Beethoven, and they are joined by several of the most renowned musicians of our time. On a total of four CDs, Beethoven's life and aspirations can be vividly shared and experienced, and his music with it's many subtleties is woven into this highly exciting biography. His thoughts, feelings, everyday experiences and entire epoch are brought to life here - with everything based strictly on the original sources, but performed and narrated in a lively and inspired manner throughout. Vividly related ten-part audio biography on 4 CDs. Celebrated narrators including Udo Wachtveitl and Cornelius Obonya Complete recordings of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks under Mariss Jansons, and the Piano Sonata in F minor performed by Alexej Gorlatch.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Includes work(s) for piano by Ludwig van Beethoven. Soloist: Alfred Brendel.

In 2020, the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birth, Gielen’s importance as an interpreter of Beethoven’s symphonies deserves to be acknowledged by a separate box set within our edition. For a long time Gielen’s core competence was seen in connection with the Second Viennese School, though right from the start of his career as a conductor he had paid particular attention to the First Viennese School – Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. The new installment of the SWR CLASSIC series is dedicated to the recordings of Beethoven's works. It contains on nine albums the complete symphonies as well as additional recordings of the symphonies 3, 5, 7 and 1 Gielen realized with orchestras other than "his" symphony orchestra Baden-Baden and Freiburg. Several overtures, the C Major Mass and the Große Fuge arranged for string orchestra are also included.

 

REVIEWS:

 

This complete recording of Beethoven’s symphonies is one of the most interesting on the market: modern, analytical, yet very musical. It is definitely an important release within the Gielen Edition but also within the Beethoven anniversary year.

 

– Pizzicato

 

This could be the first choice for anyone thinking about a Beethoven set updated from the same-old, same-old weighty, routine editions.

 

– The Whole Note

This a re-release of the SWR Classic Bestseller 93.089 containing all Beethoven's Symphonies conducted by Sir Roger Norrington, renowned for his "Stuttgart Sound". The 9th symphony features the famous singers Camilla Nylung, Iris Vermillion, Jonas Kaufmann and Franz-Josef Selig. The scholarly English conductor, Roger (Arthur Carver) Norrington, is a native of Oxford, England, where he came from a University family with strong musical connections. He was a talented boy soprano, studied the violin from the age of 10, and singing from 17, but his higher education was in English Literature at Cambridge University. After several years’ experience as a violinist, tenor and conductor, he returned to his studies at the Royal College of Music under Sir Adrian Boult. Roger Norrington’s work on scores, on sound, on orchestra size, seating and playing style, has had a profound effect on the way 19th century music is now perceived and, not surprisingly, he is in great demand by symphony orchestras world-wide.

BEETHOVEN: SYMPHONY NO. 9 MEN

This project featuring the complete recording of Beethoven’s piano concertos on original Beethoven fortepianos has close ties to the performances at original historical sites in Vienna. During past years the concert series “Resound Beethoven” has brought back Beethoven’s works to the places where they are documented to have been performed. It has been possible to perform and in part to record the complete cycle in halls such as the Eroica Hall in the Palais Lobkowitz, the Festsaal of the Akademie der Wissenschaften, and the Niederösterreichischer Landhaussaal. For Gottlieb Wallisch this was a unique experience, a veritable immersion in the sound world of Beethoven’s times: “The combination of the fortepiano sound with the original-sound orchestra results in a fascinating opportunity to shed new tonal light on Beethoven’s music and to understand it in new ways. The sound of this fortepiano from the period around 1820 captivates the listener with its special color in the various registers and its elegant purity while already discreetly looking into the future with its somewhat greater volume. The main characteristic in performance with the orchestra is the appealing transparency of all the voices, especially in the dialogue between the piano and the woodwind instruments.” Beethoven’s transcription of his Violin Concerto op. 61 for piano and orchestra – in music history the rare case of a transfer of a work from a stringed instrument to a keyboard instrument – gains authenticity and musical logic through performance on the fortepiano. His Rondo WoO is heard in a first-time recording; it originally formed the concluding movement of his Piano Concerto No. 2.

When Christian Ferras died at age 49. his friend and colleague Yehudi Menuhin wrote that Ferras was"possessed by music, immensely talented, and of both a generous and intense temperament."

Christian Ferras was one of the greatest violinists of the 20th century. Born in 1933, he was a guest soloist of the Nice Symphony orchestra in1942. In 1948 he won the First Prize at the International Scheveningen (Holland) Violin Competition and in 1949 won the top prize at the International Long-Thibaud Competition. Thereafter, he pursued a successful career as soloist with many of the world’s leading orchestras and in recitals with his long time accompanist, pianist Pierre Barbizet. He recorded for EMI and from 1964 for DG where he recorded the four main repertoire violin concertos, Brahms, Sibelius, Beethoven and Tchaikovsky, with Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.
Fortunately, Christian Ferras left behind a rich recorded legacy, that enable us to continue to enjoy his great artistry.

Missa Solemnis, Beethoven's sacred masterpiece, has thrilled audiences since its premiere with its monumental splendor and grandeur of vision. Even the master himself described it as "the greatest work that I have written so far." Helmuth Rilling, the Bach-Collegium Stuttgart, the Gächinger Kantorei Stuttgart and a quartet of vocal soloists have achieved worldwide acclaim in producing a reference recording of this great masterpiece, now available once again in a new edition as part of the “Great Choral Works” series. “A production of the highest professionalism.” - FONO FORUM

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music