Search - Ludwig van Beethoven, Clemens Krauss, George Szell :: Audio Archive Classics: Beethoven

Noble

David Saemann | 10/27/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There are some technical shortcomings on this CD. The Emperor is dubbed from a very noisy LP, with a number of awkward splices. The Fourth, which if noted correctly features the Vienna Philharmonic, has a bad splice in the first movement. If you can accept these problems, you should find this CD richly rewarding. Clifford Curzon gives a better performance of the Emperor here than on his stereo remake with Knappertsbusch. His technique is stunning, and every chord seems to have been weighted for the utmost effect. George Szell is in splendid form, getting the best out of the London Philharmonic. The woodwind playing is especially winning. Wilhelm Backhaus made a specialty of the Fourth, and his playing is lucid and detailed. He plays an especially virtuosic cadenza I haven't heard before in the third movement. Clemens Krauss conducts supportively, and the Vienna Philharmonic sounds rustic rather than particularly disciplined. These are two classic versions of these scores, and this CD is an excellent value."