ウェブプレーヤーを開く
I write this review after having purchased this Beethoven Symphony cycle about four years ago and having upgraded to the SACD hybrid version about two years ago to join the rave reviews for what I’ve found to be the most enjoyable Beethoven Symphony cycle in a very competitive market which includes many excellent Beethoven Symphony cycles.
The Symphony performances in this box set date from 1957-1965; some of the Overtures were recorded in the following two years.
To my ear the sound quality of these “24-Bit High Resolution Audio” CDs is very good, albeit they do not attain the sound standards set by more recent top-notch Beethoven cycles such as (i) Gunter Wand/NDR Symphony Orchestra (Hamburg, Germany); (ii) Daniel Barenboim/Staatskapelle Berlin; and (iii) Osmo Vänskä/Minnesota Orchestra (BIS hybrid SACD).
However, when striking the balance between the performances and the marginally better sound quality on these more recent standouts, I find the Szell cycle the most enjoyable.
In terms of performances, the balance Szell achieves among the various orchestra sections is superb. Woodwinds, for example, are not minimized or obscured as they often are in Karajan’s still generally enjoyable performances. Otto Klemperer with the Philharmonia/New Philharmonia Orchestra, while providing different interpretations, is another master at achieving great balance between the various orchestral sections so listeners can enjoy a performance in its full beauty. Indeed, listeners should sample more than one approach to Beethoven’s Symphonies and the Klemperer 10 CD box set that also comes with his magnificent performances of Beethoven’s Overtures [Beethoven: The Orchestral Recordings; ASIN: B008YKRRI6] would be the second set I’d recommend.
Assessing each Szell performance individually, each performance is the one I return to most often, among the ones I return to most often or a first-rate performance.
To my ear Szell’s performance of the 7th Symphony is the most enjoyable on the market. No other performance I’ve heard comes close. Szell develops details other conductors do not, his pace seems perfect and in the first, third and fourth movements he strategically builds intensity at key points that make for an unparalleled performance. Carlos Kleiber’s performance with the Vienna Philharmonic gets more publicity. The New Yorker Magazine in a 2012 article named a CD containing it and Kleiber’s Vienna Philharmonic 5th Symphony performance as one of “10 Perfect Orchestral Recordings.” I have that Kleiber CD in the SACD version, the sound quality is nothing special, the performance of the 7th is quite enjoyable but I find much to prefer in Szell’s performance.
Szell’s performances of Symphonies 3, 5, 6 and 9 are also standouts, being among the performances of those works I return to most often.
Listeners wanting even better sound quality may consider the hybrid SACD Szell set [search for ASIN: “B01EB6PMB0”]. As hybrid SACDs they will play on regular CD players. Given the cost of the set those without an SACD player – and even those with SACD players -- may want to consider using that money to get copies of some of the other superb Beethoven Symphony cycle sets available.
Other Beethoven Symphony cycle box sets that would make great additions to your collection are:
1. Otto Klemperer/Philharmonia/New Philharmonia Orchestra:
- To my ear many of Klemperer’s performances are revelatory in that he takes a more measured – but rarely “slow” -- pace in developing the composition such that I hear compositional details I miss in many other performances.
- The 10-CD set, “Beethoven: The Orchestral Recordings: Symphonies & Overtures,” contains multiple versions of Symphonies 3, 5 and 7 and multiple versions of some of the Overtures.
-- There are two versions of Symphonies 3 and 5 with one of each being an earlier mono version, albeit in excellent mono sound. Some listeners prefer the performance of the mono version of one or both; given the benefit of stereo I prefer the stereo 3rd but prefer the mono version of the 5th Symphony based on its slight brisker pace.
-- There are three versions of the 7th. None are to my taste and those are the only performances in this otherwise superb box set I do not return to. Other listeners may enjoy one or more of these performances. The only place where I perceive Klemperer being “slow” – in the sense of dragging a bit – is in the 2nd movement of his 1968 7th Symphony performance.
- The Overture performances are sensational. The Overture I listen to most often is “The Consecration of the House.” The box set contains two performances – one from 1956 and one from 1959. Both are in stereo, both are great and, in my opinion no one else comes close to matching either performance [Claudio Abbado with the Vienna Philharmonic comes closest].
- The sound on these discs is very good despite the age of the recordings. In short, this set, along with the Szell set, are, in my opinion, the two most desirable sets on the market.
2. (the following three are all extremely worthwhile and I won’t try to prioritize them)
a. Bruno Walter with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra (ASIN: B0129YBV5M).
-- This is a 7-CD set which also comes with a very enjoyable Violin Concerto performance with Zino Francescatti and a CD containing portions of Bruno Walter rehearsals of the 4th, 5th, 7th and 9th Symphonies.
-- Walter’s 6th and 4th Symphonies are justly renowned and often cited as reference performances. To my ear his performance of the 3rd Symphony should also be included in any list of reference recordings of the Eroica.
-- Sony International recently released an SACD version of this set. It is very expensive – more expensive than the Szell SACD box set. Listeners can find it by doing an Amazon site search on ASIN: “B07WZHJN44”
b. Gunther Wand/NDR Symphony Orchestra (Hamburg, Germany)
-- David Hurwitz of “Classics Today” who has been reviewing and providing critical analyses of classical music for 30-40 years started posting a series of classical music talks on his You Tube channel around April, 2020. I’ve found them extremely worthwhile and well done and am continually looking for his talks on performances of composers I enjoy. His June, 2020, “The Best Beethoven Symphony Cycles” listed this set as his first choice based on performances and his first choice based on sound quality. He also placed this Szell set in his top three – along with Wand/NDR and Barenboim/Staatskapelle Berlin.
-- Mr. Hurwitz listed three ground rules for his selections – the most important being there are “no dud performances” in the cycle. Another was that there should generally not be a standout performance of the work by the conductor and orchestra that is not included in the cycle box. Other talks show that Mr. Hurwitz generally holds Klemperer and Walter in extremely high esteem but he did not include their box sets in this list. While I have no formal music background or training, my experience being limited to having listened to classical music for decades, and would agree that Klemperer’s 7th Symphony performances are disappointing, given the revelatory nature of many of his other Symphony performances and his sensational Overture performances, I would include his set. I would also include Walter’s cycle with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra.
c. Leonard Bernstein/New York Philharmonic (ASIN: B003S0IJWA)
-- I have no idea why this set has not received greater attention. These performances are superb and they were all recorded in the 1961-1964 period at the Manhattan Center. To my ear Bernstein recordings from the Manhattan Center are typically very good and the sound quality of these performances are, with the possible exception of the 6th Symphony, excellent, providing the type of crystal-clear sound I typically get and greatly appreciate from Decca CDs.
-- This 6-CD set also comes with five Overture performances and a 1959 performance at the St. George Hotel in Brooklyn of the Violin Concerto with Isaac Stern. While I was happy to see the Violin Concerto included in the set, it turned out to be a major disappointment based on sound quality – the sound of the violin having a displeasing metallic sound to my ear. Other listeners may differ and if they like the sound of this performance that is even more reason to get this set.
-- While this Bernstein 6-CD box set states, like the Szell 5-CD box set, that the CDs are “24-Bit High Resolution Audio,” in 2019 Sony released these Symphony performances (as well as the five overtures but not the Violin Concerto) in a “remastered” 10-CD box set “Bernstein Conducts Beethoven [ASIN: B07WNKVHT2]. The booklet that comes with the 2019 “Remastered” edition indicates the remastering was done in 2017 using 24-Bit/192 kHz technology and lists who worked on the remastering. Interestingly, most, perhaps all, of the Sony “Masters” box sets indicate they contain CDs that are “24-Bit High Resolution Audio” but avoid affirmatively indicating the recordings were remastered (unless I overlooked it in the fine print). The 10-CD set spreads the performances out among the CDs (e.g. Symphonies 3, 5, 6 and 7 are on their own separate CD), there is a second Symphony 7 performance (from 1957) and a Missa Solemnis performance replaces the Violin Concerto.
3. Karl Bohm/Vienna Philharmonic (ASIN: B00E59ZROG)
4. Herbert von Karajan: Berlin Philharmonic [1961-1962 performances (“1963 cycle”) and 1976-1977 performances (“1977 cycle”)].
-- There are four Karajan Beethoven Symphony cycles. The first is a mono set with the Philharmonia; the subsequent three are with the Berlin Philharmonic – the 1963 cycle, the 1977 cycle and an early 1980s cycle which is seen by many as inferior to the 1963 cycle and the 1977 cycle, albeit the individual performances of the 3rd and 8th Symphonies from the early 1980’s are highly regarded by many (and are available on a single CD together).
-- To my ear the sound quality on the Deutsche Grammophon CDs of the 1963 and 1977 sets is middling at best. Part of how I perceive the sound quality of those CDs may be attributable to Karajan’s style that submerges instrumental detail to achieve an overall smooth sound – which leads to the minimization or virtual disappearance of the woodwinds.
-- The 1963 set was issued by Deutsche Gramophone on SACD and the SACDs offer some, but not great, improvement in sound. Upon initial release they sold at a reasonable price but they have become harder to get and consequently more expensive.
-- The 1977 set was issued by Universal Music in a single layer (not hybrid and thus will not play on a regular CD player) SACD set and this set is a very high-end product which presents Karajan’s performances, which despite submerging details from portions of the orchestra like the woodwinds, can nevertheless be beautiful. This set will cost approximately 12,000 Yen. The set does not appear to be listed on the Amazon site anymore but it can be located at “cd Japan” – do a google search on “cd japan, Karajan, Beethoven, SACD.” The JAN/ISBN number is 4988031273685; the “Org. Catalog No. is UCGC-9129.
Overall, I give the highest recommendation to this Szell Beethoven Symphony cycle box set.
Amazon 新生活SALE (Final) 開催中
期間限定！人気商品がお買い得。最大5,000ポイント還元ポイントアップキャンペーン
Amazon 新生活SALE (Final) を今すぐチェック
Amazon 新生活SALE (Final) を今すぐチェック
この商品をチェックした人はこんな商品もチェックしています
ページ 1 以下のうち 1 最初から観るページ 1 以下のうち 1
他の国からのトップレビュー
JAC
The Most Enjoyable Beethoven Symphony Cycle Set in a Very Competitive Market
2020年10月25日にアメリカ合衆国でレビュー済みAmazonで購入
Miquel
magnífica integral
2015年5月4日にスペインでレビュー済みAmazonで購入
SonofLudwig
Szell's Beethoven ... Precision and Power ... absolutely glorious!
2013年12月7日にカナダでレビュー済みAmazonで購入
Claude DUTRU
Grande version classique et exemplaire
2014年5月24日にフランスでレビュー済みAmazonで購入
aprosdoketon
Szell e la leggerezza di Beethoven
2013年10月15日にイタリアでレビュー済みAmazonで購入
