Horrible transfer--They should be ashamed!
John Grabowski | USA | 03/20/2002
(2 out of 5 stars)
"Imagine listening to a 1930s recording with the "treble" knob turned all the way down. That's what this recording sounds like. In an effort to remove every last bit of disc noise, they remove all of the treble too. Pity, because even here the beautiful *sound* of the Concertgebouw Orchestra manages to come through. (One can only imaging what that string section sounded like in person.) The musicians are clearly enjoying the music and play with a naturalness and intensity missing in so many of today's polished-but-dull orchestras. Whether or not you can stomach Mengelberg's considerable liberties will depend on your personal taste. Like most other conductors of the time, he liked the slow four-note opening, ... etc. It says in the notes he conducted each phrase with the tempo and weight that he thought was right for that phrase. To me it seems the challenge is to find a way to make all the phrases and notes work in more or less the dominant tempo of the movement or section of movement, based on score marking and metronome indication, but maybe my beliefs are as much a product of my generation as his are of his. I will say you can gain a greater understanding of Furtwangler by listening to Mengelberg, and I might even venture to say I prefer the latter's lighter, more transparent approach--Furtwangler was apt to make even the lyrical passages in Beethoven sound thunderous and weighty. On the other hand, if you like your Beethoven lean and fleet of foot, if John Eliot Gardiner's cycle is your most prized possession, perhaps you shouldn't consider this disc.My advice if you're curious about these works is to get the Pearl version if you can find it--more hiss perhaps, but more MUSIC too. And if you don't like the Pearl version because there's too much noise, you can always turn down the treble knob all the way, and it will sound like this release."
Great performance, but poor remastering
Takeshi Hasegawa | Chiba, Japan | 04/07/2001
(3 out of 5 stars)
"These recordings are outstandingly graet performaces. In particular, the fifth symphony is derived from the 1942 version, which has never been published previously. Nevertheless, the remastering technique by Teldec is very poor, and they simply cut treble to reduce the surface noise, which also reduces the music largely. Therefore, the listener would enjoy the great performance through the poor sound."
Greatest Conductor of All Time Records Best Beethoven 5 of A
Sussex Pond Pudding | Somewhere in the desert, CA | 11/23/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"As I have stated in previous reviews I am no audiophile. I was raised on Blind Lemon Jefferson and Bix Beiderbecke records so scratches and hiss do not distract me in the least. I can and do appreciate and enjoy a well remastered recording however, but do not have the sometimes obsessive "classical audiophile" gene that seems to be such a major issue with a great many fans. My point being that perhaps the sound is not so great on this particular release to others but it sounds fine to me. What really matters is the performance. In my opinion no one has ever recorded Beethoven's Fifth like Mengelberg did in this session. It's drama and passion was, to me when I first heard it, like hearing this most standard of classical symphonies for the first time. Would I recommend it as the first version to buy? No. Go with Carlos Kleiber (Beethoven: Symphonies 5 & 7). That is the standard recommendation by most everyone and it is certainly a wonderful performance with modern sound quality. But do not purchase it without buying this as well. Learn the symphony by listening to the Kleiber and then when you know it well enough throw this in your player and be prepared to hear the heavenly white sonic light of Mengelberg. If you are anything like me you will then go out and hunt for every last Mengelberg recording you can find. He does almost everything better than anyone else in my opinion. I am always left fully satisfied that I have heard whatever piece he is conducting at its most powerful, sensitive and soulful."
Track Listings (9) - Disc #1