This is a hybrid Super Audio CD playable on both regular and Super Audio CD players.

As a master student of Arnold Schönberg, Walter Goehr was particularly fond of New Music, but as a conductor he devoted himself to compositions from previous centuries. The present recording of a concert from 1955 with Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, which he recorded with the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus, documents that he did this very successfully. Goehr was born in Berlin, but, being a Jewish man, he was forced to seek employment outside of Germany after working for Berlin Radio in 1932. He was invited to become music director for the Gramophone Company, and thus moved to London. It was during this time he conducted the London Philharmonic Orchestra in the premiere recording of Bizet’s Symphony in C. He was in high demand as a guest conductor for orchestras all across Europe, including the ensemble heard in this historic recording.

Freedom, fraternity and humanity – this is what Beethoven’s 9th Symphony stands for. It opens the 10th Grafenegg Festival, performed by the Tonkunstler Orchestra, joined by 24 alumni of the European Union Youth Orchestra (EUYO) and “a soloist quartet which no one could possibly imagine to be more prestigious” (Die Presse). “Vogt’s tenor and the Wiener Singverein were especially moving” (Wiener Zeitung) and “the vocal performance by excellent bass René Pape, the fabulous soprano Camilla Nylund and the brilliant mezzosoprano Elena Zhidkova … in Beethoven’s Ninth was just sensational. Bravo!” (Kurier) Composer in Residence Christian Jost’s new work also centres around Beethoven, featuring the song “An die Hoffnung” (“To Hope”), and “convincingly used an impressive orchestra” (Der Standard), with “tenor Klaus Florian Vogt as a well-cast soloist” (Salzburger Nachrichten).

Beethoven wrote nine symphonies, the first heralding the new century, in 1800, and the last completed in 1824. Although he made few changes to the composition of the orchestra itself, adding, when occasion demanded, one or two instruments more normally found in the opera-house, he expanded vastly the traditional form, developed in the time of Haydn and Mozart, reflecting the personal and political struggles of a period of immense change and turbulence. The first performance of the Symphony in D minor, Opus 125, took place at the Karntnertor Theatre on 7th May, 1824, after a great deal of wrangling over the whole matter, and was a tremendous success with a public that Beethoven thought he had lost to Rossini. The composer, too deaf to direct the performance, indicated the tempi of each movement, the real conductor Umlauf having instructed singers and players to pay no attention to Beethoven, who could hear nothing of the proceedings. The work is scored for pairs of flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, trumpets and drums, with four French horns and the usual strings, to which the composer added three trombones, a double bassoon, a piccolo, triangle, cymbals and bass drum. The symphony was commissioned and paid for by the Philharmonic Society of London, but was dedicated by Beethoven to the King of Prussia, Friedrich Wilhelm III. The last movement provides a necessary link between the purely instrumental world of the rest of the symphony and the great setting of Schiller's words. There is an abrupt outburst from the orchestra, now joined by the double bassoon, followed at once by a baritone recitative, an abjuration of orchestral convention and an exhortation to sing a song of joy. This is followed by the famous theme, in fact structurally the principal theme of a rondo, that is to be varied in so many ways. The baritone is joined by the chorus and then by the other three soloists in it's declaration of human brotherhood.

Drawn from the worldwide catalog holdings of Sony Classical, which includes both the Columbia/CBS and RCA Victor label imprints, the SONY Classical Originals, SONY Classical Masters Singles and Box Sets, and SONY Opera House series offer an extensive selection of highly desirable and collectible EU (Germany) pressed import editions, smartly-designed and graphically-pleasing, featuring the most sought-after recordings by the world’s preeminent, legendary artists both past and present, with many titles newly re-mastered in 24bit High Resolution Audio.

Ludwig van Beethoven's 9th Symphony and the musical city of Leipzig are closely intertwined with each other: Felix Mendelssohn, Kapellmeister of the Gewandhausorchester, made the work an indispensable part of the concert hall repertoire and Arthur Nikisch, one of his successors, established in 1918 the worldwide tradition of performing this groundbreaking and pioneering work at the end of the year. The phenomenal Herbert Blomstedt, Gewandhaus-kapellmeister from 1998 to 2005, once again conducted Beethoven's Ninth in Leipzig for the 2016 New Year celebrations. With his former orchestra, of which he has been Conductor Laureate since 2005 and with whom he enjoys a close friendship, he achieves a gripping interpretation of this monumental work. Under the direction of Blomstedt, together with his excellent musicians, the choirs, and an outstanding quartet of soloists led by the magnificent voice of Christian Gerhaher, the utopia of global freedom and humanity in Friedrich Schiller's "Ode to Joy," penned in Leipzig in 1785, grows to overwhelming dimensions.

Ludwig van Beethoven's 9th Symphony and the musical city of Leipzig are closely intertwined with each other: Felix Mendelssohn, Kapellmeister of the Gewandhausorchester, made the work an indispensable part of the concert hall repertoire and Arthur Nikisch, one of his successors, established in 1918 the worldwide tradition of performing this groundbreaking and pioneering work at the end of the year. The phenomenal Herbert Blomstedt, Gewandhaus-kapellmeister from 1998 to 2005, once again conducted Beethoven's Ninth in Leipzig for the 2016 New Year celebrations. With his former orchestra, of which he has been Conductor Laureate since 2005 and with whom he enjoys a close friendship, he achieves a gripping interpretation of this monumental work. Under the direction of Blomstedt, together with his excellent musicians, the choirs, and an outstanding quartet of soloists led by the magnificent voice of Christian Gerhaher, the utopia of global freedom and humanity in Friedrich Schiller's "Ode to Joy," penned in Leipzig in 1785, grows to overwhelming dimensions.

Drawn from the worldwide catalog holdings of Sony Classical, which includes both the Columbia/CBS and RCA Victor label imprints, the SONY Classical Originals, SONY Classical Masters Singles and Box Sets, and SONY Opera House series offer an extensive selection of highly desirable and collectible EU (Germany) pressed import editions, smartly-designed and graphically-pleasing, featuring the most sought-after recordings by the world’s preeminent, legendary artists both past and present, with many titles newly re-mastered in 24bit High Resolution Audio.

Classical Music

Classical Music

This is a hybrid Super Audio CD playable on both regular and Super Audio CD players.



BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 3, “Eroica.” Egmont: Overture. Coriolan Overture • Bertrand de Billy, cond; Vienna RSO • OEHMS 621 (Multichannel hybrid SACD: 60:55)


Hard on the heels of the complete set of the Beethoven symphonies conducted by Stanislaw Skrowacszewski on Oehms comes this “Eroica” conducted by de Billy; there is no indication as to whether this disc heralds another such cycle. For my part, I hope that there is indeed more Beethoven forthcoming from this team.


The symphony’s first movement features a judiciously sprightly tempo that is exhilarating without sounding rushed. Antiphonal violins assist in clarifying Beethoven’s counterpoint within a production that is dominated by the strings. In a midhall perspective featuring a spacious soundstage, the sound is exemplary, with deep, resonant low tones and a pleasantly warm orchestral image; I detected no spotlighting or isolating of instrumental groups to unbalance the focus. There is crispness to the articulation of the phrasing and judicious usage of rubato that evokes the revolutionary nature of the music without becoming weighed down with self-importance on the one hand or being driven breathless by sheer propulsion on the other.


The second movement is sober rather than melancholy—a “stiff-upper-lip-in-adversity” kind of feeling. The violins have an intensity that borders on defiance as they progress through the thematic and tonal shifts in the aural landscape, somehow remaining buoyant until expiring at the end of the coda. The Scherzo embodies Michael Steinberg’s apt characterization, “mad coiled-spring energy.” The horns in the Trio are concise in their nobility, comfortably but not overly prominent in the mix.


De Billy’s sense of dynamics is flawless: Beethoven’s playful sudden punctuations in the finale sound as fresh as though we were hearing them for the first time—and that’s a good characterization of the performance as a whole. The variations again become endlessly fascinating—one marvels anew at Beethoven’s seemingly endless invention; the whirlwind conclusion is breathtaking while remaining coherent.


The performances of the overtures benefit from de Billy’s years in the opera house: each becomes a self-contained one-movement drama, driven by excitingly quick tempos (though not devoid of flexibility or sensitivity) and a commanding sense of scale. The entire program thus reflects Beethoven’s exploration of the heroic.


There are, of course, literally hundreds of alternative recordings of Beethoven’s Third, from historical to period-instrument versions, and even several featuring SACD sound; of this last group, two recent recordings conducted by Bernard Haitink and Osmo Vänskä were reviewed by James Reel in 30:2. My colleague found the Haitink to be “quite good,” while the Vänskä was “stunning.” If value for money is your main concern, the Haitink is slightly cheaper than either the Oehms or BIS discs, while the Vänskä contains the Eighth Symphony as a discmate, and thus gives you more music (Haitink includes Leonore No. 2). Granted the premise that one can never have too many good Beethoven symphony recordings, however, I heartily recommend this disc, even to those who possess the others mentioned above. Yes, it’s that good.


FANFARE: Christopher Abbot

This release, the second in Skrowaczewski’s new complete survey of the Beethoven symphonies with the Saarbrücken Radio Symphony Orchestra (the first volume contained the Second and “Eroica” Symphonies), enters into head-to-head competition with another ongoing survey from Osma Vänskä on the BIS label. The irony, if it be that, is that Vänskä is leading the Minnesota Orchestra, the very ensemble led by Skrowaczewski from 1960 to 1969 – it was renamed from the Minneapolis Orchestra during Skrowaczewski’s tenure.

This review will be brief, so as not to delay you from visiting your nearest record shop or favorite mail-order Web site to purchase this CD. Every so often, a new recording comes along of one of music’s seminal masterworks that cannot be ignored. Skrowaczewski’s Ninth is such a recording. Whether you are a champion of Furtwängler or Toscanini, or whether you have one recording of the Ninth in your collection or 20, Skrowaczewski’s is a compelling performance – vibrant, vigorous, tensile, and authoritative. Its forward momentum never flags or sags and Skrowaczewski galvanizes his Saarbrücken forces into playing as if they were the greatest orchestra in the world, which, for 70 minutes of magical music-making, they are.

Purists will be happy to know that the full complement of repeats in the Scherzo is observed; and all of the vocal soloists in the last movement are spot on pitch, and sing with precise diction and no sense of strain. Ditto the chorus, no small accomplishment considering Beethoven’s torturous writing. The recording is of demonstration quality, with some of the most visceral timpani whacks I’ve heard. Absence of a printed text and translation of Schiller’s Ode to Joy is an oversight, but should not be an issue for the advanced collectors that Fanfare readers are.

You will have to forgive me for cutting this review short, but I must run out and buy a copy of Skrowaczewski’s first installment of the Second and “Eroica” Symphonies. Buy this CD; you will not regret it.

FANFARE: Jerry Dubins

On the "Manfred Bürki" Steinway concert grand piano, built in 1901 the highly praised Trenkner-Speidel Piano Duo presents Ludwig van Beethoven's Seventh Symphony arranged for piano four-hands by Xaver Schwarwenka, who must have been waiting for such a perfect instrument for its progressive and opulent piano texture. Moreover, this CD presents Beethoven's own arrangement of the Great Fugue. With boundless energy, Evelinde Trenkner and Sontraud Speidel celebrate an enthralling and stirring Beethoven festival. - MDG-Musikproduktion Dabringhaus und Grimm

In his Sixth Symphony, the "Pastoral", Ludwig van Beethoven conveys his musical message in such a way that lets the listener literally "see" images of beautiful nature, tempestuous storms, and shepherds singing in the fields, whereas in his Seventh Symphony, Beethoven lets the music speak for itself. The performances of these works by the Gewandhausorchester under its conductor laureate Herbert Bomstedt give the uplifting feeling that the intentions of both composer and performers are united in serving the musical message. In the lively, subtly differentiated interpretation of the works, sincere happiness, deep respect, piety, joyful, serenity and an affinity to nature as well as passion, vitality and spirit can all be felt. This is what the "authenticity" of making music is all about. The humanist and musician Herbert Blomstedt embodies this truth in a unique way, creating an atmosphere where the wonders of music all become true.

Classical Music