Search - Ludwig van Beethoven, Bernard Haitink, London Symphony Orchestra :: Beethoven: Symphony No. 7; Triple Concerto

Exceptional Performances of the Beethoven 7th Symphony and T

John Kwok | New York, NY USA | 09/15/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was literally speechless when I finished listening to this splendid LSO Live recording, amazed by these brilliant recordings made from live performances of both works back in late November, 2005 at the London Symphony Orchestra's Barbican concert hall home. Not only has Bernard Haitink led the London Symphony Orchestra in a brisk, quite exciting, account of Beethoven's Symphony Number 7 in A Major, but his latest recording ranks alongside those by Claudio Abbado and the Berliner Philharmoniker and Carlos Kleiber and the Wiener Philharmoniker as among my favorite recordings of this symphony (Like Abbado, Haitink has used the relatively new Jonathan Del Mar-edited Barenreiter Edition of the 7th Symphony.). Moreover, this may be the best balanced recording I have heard of this symphony, since the sound quality was such that I thought I was listening somewhere in the midst of the orchestra, even while listening from a pair of cheap headphones attached to my compact Sony CD player.



Haitink's latest recorded account of the Beethoven 7th Symphony is quite literally light years removed from his critically acclaimed Philips recording with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. The opening movement (Poco sostenuto - vivace) is as brisk as Abbado's latest account, with superlative playing from the winds, horns and strings. The second movement (Allegretto) sounds like a brisk funeral march (This leads me to wonder why Haitink chose not to emphasize the funeral atmosphere of the 3rd Symphony's second movement in his LSO Live recording, since he does such a fine job here.). Haitink's conducting and the London Symphony Orchestra's performance of the third (Presto) and fourth (Allegro con brio) movements may be the best I have heard for this symphony; with regards to the fourth movement, Haitink's version doesn't sound nearly as rushed as Abbado's, even though Haitink's account seems to be nearly as swift.



This LSO Live recording of the Beethoven Triple Concerto is one of the best I have heard, with exceptional playing from former LSO concertmaster Gordan Nikolitch, former LSO principal cellist Tim Hugh, and pianist Lars Vogt. Theirs is a riveting, exciting performance that is amply supported by the London Symphony Orchestra under Haitink's baton; moreover, the chemistry amongst the three soloists is quite superb as if they had played together for years (which is true for Nikolitch and Hugh), and nor do I hear any rushed entrances by any of these soloists (This is in stark contrast to a live performance I had heard a few years ago at Avery Fisher Hall with Mutter, Harrell and Previn as the respective soloists, failing to keep in time with the New York Philharmonic under Kurt Masur's baton.). Instead, there is much virtuoso "give and take" amongst violinist Nikolitch, cellist Hugh and pianist Vogt, as they exchange melodies and variations in each of the concerto's three movements (A very long Allegro followed by a brief Largo and concluding in a spirited Rondo alla Polacca, which is one of the first major instances of Polish music being used as a source of inspiration in a work composed by a major composer like Beethoven.).



I have no doubt that fans of Beethoven's music, Bernard Haitink, Lars Vogt and, of course, the London Symphony Orchestra will greatly enjoy this recording. Without a doubt, this recording must be regarded as one of the musical highlights of Haitink's new Beethoven symphony cycle. It promises to be a superb cycle blessed with superb state-of-the-art recording from the recording team at LSO Live."

The pace has picked up, but Haitink remains rather faceless

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 04/09/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This live Beethoven Seventh falls into the same category as those from Abbado and Rattle from 2000 -- a mainstream conductor is sprucing up Beethoven in keeping with current notions. All three go for leaner textures, faster tempos, and a marked absence of depth or any kind of searching below the surfae. They performances are cut from the same cloth, although Haitink's is the best for recorded sound, and his LSO musicians respond somewhat more enthusiastically.



Yet this remains a faceless approach -- you'd mistake his Seventh for almost anyone else's who has a small tilt toward historical practice. The main departure from tradition is that the Allegretto has sped up, and so has the Trio to the Scherzo. The finale whisks along, but unlike Karajan, who also rode the whirlwind, everything here sounds lighlty tossed off, for better or worse.



I was curious about the Triple Cto. because among traditionalists the lightest and leanest recording came from Fricsay on DG decades ago. The standard recommendation, Karajan with Richter, Rostropovich, and Oistrakh, pursues a traditional course and features virtuosic romantic soloists. Here we get two orchestral principals with the addition of Lars Vogt as pianist. Haitink begins in the same brisk manner as in the symphony, but the telltale sign is always the entry of the three soloists. To my disppointment they are recessed and bland. The effect is more like a Mozart Sinfonia concertante than a romantic conerto -- presumably that's what Haitink and co. are aiming at.



Vogt is the most decisive of the three and so strongly outplays the violin and cello (the latter is very timid) that it's a mismatch. But everyone plays beautifully, and if you're not looking for originality or depth, this light and lyrical account is fine on its own terms. In the same style the Fricsay is more exciting, however."

Magnificent Beethoven

Matt | London | 11/03/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"How fascinating to get two such contrasting reviews. Perhaps this is to be expected from such charismatic performanes. For my part, I am with Mr Kwok, heart and soul. This might be the greatest recording of the Beethoven 7 ever made. It's not studio sound, of course, because it's a live recording; but the compensation is ample. The LSO plays with commanding viruosity and style and spirit. Haitink's concept of the symphony is genuinely fresh and utterly convincing, but never stroppily or pointlessly new-fangled. One feels almost there in the Barbican Hall. It's simply thrilling.



The Triple Concerto is less graceful than some performances (I'm thinking of the Oistrakh, Rostopovich, Richter recording with the Berlin Philharmonic and, oddly enough for grace, Karajan). But, again, one gets real character here and the whole gels, thanks to the rapport between the excellent soloists and Haitink's ever-present sense of structure and drive. Nikolitch is as sweet and Hugh as muscular as ever, but I was particularly impressed, actually, by the lovely sounds made by Lars Vogt's piano.



My advice: buy it. In fact, buy them all. You'd be mad to miss this inspirational Beethoven cycle."