Search - Beethoven, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Royal Concertgebouw Orch :: Beethoven: Complete symphonies

I have read alot about Sawallisch's Beethoven Symphonies

Alan Majeska | Bad Axe, MI, USA | 09/13/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I have read alot about conductor Wolfgang Sawallisch's Beethoven Symphony recordings (1991-93) with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, and have just ordered them for myself.



Sawallisch recorded all Nine symphonies over a 2 year period, for EMI in 1991-93, and then the recordings were reissued by Brilliant Classics in November, 2005. These were recorded in the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Holland, one of the most perfect acoustic orchestra halls in the world. Sawallisch (born 1923) has considerable experience conducting Beethoven, so I expect great things from his cycle.



According to reviews in such journals as "American Record Guide," and "Penguin Guide to compact discs", Sawallisch's Beethoven is as follows:



Symphony 1 - excellent, with the best sound.

Symphony 2 - excellent interpretation, sound less vivid, but

pretty good.

Symphony 3 - sluggish I, II - IV are excellent. Big boned and

very massive interpretation.

Symphony 4 - good/ average. Nothing earth-shaking, or to make

it stand out.

Symphony 5 - not as good as many others.

Symphony 6 - quite good, with a blistering IV: "Thunderstorm"

Symphony 7 - tubby and sluggish.

Symphony 8 - too heavy-handed. A lighter touch would have been

nice.

Symphony 9 - very good, but rather ordinary. Don't expect Furt-

wangler, Bohm, Szell, or other great visions; Sawallisch lets

the music "play itself" and it's OK, but not as great as some

recordings. Smallish chorus, but very good work. I'm sure I'll like it.



Sound: best in Symphonies 1 and 9; less clear in Symphonies 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8.



At $16.00 for 5 discs (shipping included), however, you can hardly go wrong. Sawallisch is a great conductor in the tradition of Karl Bohm (1894-1981) and his Beethoven will be the traditional, large orchestra German Beethoven, not the period instrument visions of Norrington, Bruggen, Gardiner, Goodman, and their ilk. And the Concertgebouw is one of the 5 best orchestras in the world, having recorded Beethoven's Symphonies with Eugen Jochum (Philips) and Bernard Haitink (Philips) before Sawallisch.



About the price, I can remember when first collecting CDs in 1986, ONE DISC was $16.00, plus 4% sales tax! And you get all 9 Beethoven Symphonies for a price lower than 1 or 2 Symphonies would cost on CD 20 years ago. It sounds like a bargain to me.



Why 4 stars? I'm being picky, but with the less than great recording job for some of the Symphonies, 4 stars is the highest mark I can give. But I'm going to give this a try.



SEPTEMBER 22, 2006: An addition to my earlier review. Having received the Sawallisch Beethoven cycle 48 hours ago, I have listened to Symphonies 1, 2, 3, 4 and 8 and find them all excellent. Symphony 7 is too slow for my taste: especially the finale, which should be really fast and "rip roaring" for full effect. (I prefer Monteux/London Symphony for this, in their Decca recording, available in a 2 CD set).



I sampled parts of Symphony 9, and it is very good, if not for the ages. IV coheres very nicely. The singing of all 4 soloists and chorus is very good, and if there is a bit of imprecision in places, the overall effect is exciting and joyful. The woodwind playing in Allegro passages in IV is very good, and cleanly articulated.



I do not hear the blurring of sound some reviewers have mentioned. The Concertgebouw has glorious acoustics, and if the sound in Symphony 3 is a little rough at times, it is overall clear and very fine. But I found the sound decent if not demonstration class, and I have a very modest, non surround sound stereo system.



Also, there is applause after Symphony 8 and 9: these were performed live, in concert.



A great bargain: go for it, unless you MUST have Furtwangler, Bohm, Weingartner, or other legendary (and long since dead) conductors for Beethoven Symphonies."

Excellent playing, mediocre interpretation

A. Yen | MA, USA | 04/09/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is undoubtedly a prime example of the Concertgebouw's stunning virtuosity and expressive depth--however, Sawallisch, as he is with the Philadelhpia Orchestra in the Dvorak late symphonies, is at times middle-of-the-road, and other times somewhat stifling.



Symphonies 1, 2, 4, and 8 are really quite well-done. These are clear, refreshing readings of the lesser-known Beethoven. The playing is supple, uncluttered, and Sawallisch interprets by not interpreting--much.



Rightly so, Symphonies 3, 5, 6, 7, and 9 have much, shall we say, richer performance histories. Although Sawallisch provides quite decent readings of each of these symphonies, all of them are either quite middle-of-the road, or, in the case of 5 and 6, somewhat drab. Still, nothing can be blamed on the orchestra, who respond with their usual flexibility and pristine playing.



Overall, not a bad bargain set to own, but definitely not the one to point at when recommending a superior Beethoven."