Beethoven – Complete Symphonies (Bernstein) [2004]

CD1
01. Symphonie No.1 in C-Dur, 1. Adagio molto - Allegro con brio
02. Symphonie No.1 in C-Dur, 2. Andante cantabile con moto
03. Symphonie No.1 in C-Dur, 3. Menuetto. Allegro molto e vivace
04. Symphonie No.1 in C-Dur, 4. Adagio - Allegro molto e vivace

05. Symph. No.2 in D major, op.36 - I. Adagio-Allegro con brio
06. II. Larghetto
07. III. Scherzo (Allegro)
08. IV. Allegro molto

CD2
1. Symphonie No.3 in Es-Dur Eroica, 1. Allegro con brio
2. Symphonie No.3 in Es-Dur Eroica, 2. Marcia funebre. Adagio assai
3. Symphonie No.3 in Es-Dur Eroica, 3. Scherzo. Allegro vivace
4. Symphonie No.3 in Es-Dur Eroica, 4. Finale. Allegro molto

5. Symph. No.4 in B-flat major, op.60 - I. Adagio-Allegro vivace
6. II. Adagio
7. III. Allegro vivace
8. IV. Allegro ma non troppo

CD3
1. Symph. No.5 in C minor, op.67 - I. Allegro con brio
2. II. Andante con moto
3. III. Allegro
4. IV. Allegro

5. Symph. No.6 in F major, op.68 [Pastoral] - I. Erwachen heiterer (Allegro ma non troppo)
6. II. Szene am Bach (Andante con moto)
7. III. Lustiges Zusammensein der Landleute (Allegro)
8. IV. Gewitter, Sturm (Allegro).mp3
9. V. Hirtengesang. Frohe und dankbare Gefühle nach dem Sturm (Allegretto)

CD4
1. Symph. No.7 in A major, op.92 - I. Poco sostenuto-Vivace
2. II. Allegretto
3. III. Presto
4. IV. Allegro con brio

5. Symph. No.8 in F major, op.93 - I. Allegro vivace e con brio
6. II. Allegretto scherzando
7. III. Tempo di Menuetto
8. IV. Allegro vivace

CD5
1. Symphonie No.9 in d-Moll, 1. Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso
2. Symphonie No.9 in d-Moll, 2. Molto vivace
3. Symphonie No.9 in d-Moll, 3. Adagio molto e cantabile
4. Symphonie No.9 in d-Moll, 4. Presto
5. Symphonie No.9 in d-Moll, 5. Presto - [O Freunde, nicht diese Töne!] - Allegro assai

Gwyneth Jones : soprano
Hanna Schwarz : contralto
René Kollo : tenor
Kurt Moll : bass

Wiener Philharmoniker
Leonard Bernstein

Critics have accused Leonard Bernstein of being too idiosyncratic in his interpretations, and some have claimed that his later recordings with Deutsche Grammophon were too flamboyant. I tend to disagree, since I have enjoyed listening to his Beethoven and Brahms symphony cycles with the Vienna Philharmonic and virtually all of his Mahler symphony recordings. Bernstein was as comfortable conducting Beethoven as he was with Mozart, Haydn, Mahler, Sibelius, or Copeland, to name but a few. And there were only a handful of orchestras with whom he had a great relationship, of which his partnership with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra surely ranks at the top, perhaps even more so than his critically acclaimed relationship with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (I might add that he is still remembered by musicians in the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, who regard him as one of the most inspirational conductors with whom they've collaborated with.).

Bernstein's Beethoven symphony recordings were among Deutsche Grammophon's finest recording achievements in the late 1970's. This bargain CD set is thus a tribute not only to Bernstein and the Vienna Philharmonic, but also to the technical excellence demonstrated by Deutsche Grammophon's producers and recording engineers. My own personal favorites in this cycle are Bernstein's riveting accounts of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 6th and 7th symphonies (His interpretation of the 5th Symphony is a bit too slow for my taste, and doesn't quite seem nearly as riveting as Carlos Kleiber's electifying account with the Vienna Philharmonic recorded by Deutsche Grammophon a few years earlier.). Althought this is an excellent Beethoven symphony cycle, it will not replace my more recent recordings from Harnoncourt, Zinman and Abbado as my primary recommendations for a Beethoven symphony cycle, but nonetheless, it is an excellent cycle for those interested in hearing the recordings of one of the 20th Century's greatest conductors. --- John Kwok (New York, NY USA)

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