Search - Wilhelm Furtwangler, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra :: Furtwängler: Symphony 2

A very special performance

09/22/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's hard to describe Furtwangler's own music - a bit like Franz Schmidt, maybe, with definite traces of Bruckner. Ultimately, it is quite a distinctive style and it is surprising that so little of his music has been recorded. The symphony under review is relatively long, coming in at 80 minutes.This performance is something quite special! The Vienna Phil had apparently never played it before the concert from which the recording is taken, but sound as if they have been playing it as long as their beloved Mozart. The sheer depth and range of the playing under the composer's own inspirational baton are, in my view, worth acquiring the disc for on their own. The 1953 recording (mono of course) does call for a degree of tolerance, but overall the sound is quite rich and full, albeit a bit edgy on top. But who cares given a performance of this quality. Thoroughly recommended."

LIFE and/or DEATH?

Ryan Kouroukis | Toronto, Ontario Canada | 06/12/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Furtwangler called his Symphony No.2 the summation of all his intellectual, emotional, and spiritual experience and ideals. He put his all into it and you know everything that he's been through in his life by hearing this! A live performance conducted by himself given in 1953 in Vienna with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra was an monumental apocalyptic evening! Furtwangler said that his earlier 1951 DG recording of this was not good at all, and he recorded it with the Berlin without even performing it first! So naturally this recording is far superior in every way (he acually like working with the Vienna orch more than the Berlin orch) The symphony is so good...powerful, exciting, philosophical, intense, lyrical, tragic and triumphant. It's Brucknerian with elements of Mahler and Shostakovitch. The sound is very good, nice transfer by Orfeo, with a bit of hiss, but who cares anyway!
This is a historical recording and you can really learn a lot from Furtwangler's second. The other good version is with Barenboim and the Chicago Sym Orch (in digital sound). Furtwangler called young Barenboim a prodigy genius when they met in 1954. Barenboim's is also good to have too because it's in excellent Teldec sound and there are a lot of things brought out compared to Furtwangler mono recording and he also understands Furtwangler's symphonic language, BUT...nothing can match Furtwangler's own live recording of it!"

Simply masterful in every way

Giacomo C. | 08/07/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Furtwangler's 2nd symphony deserves to be much more well known than it currently is. It is a masterful work - a big symphony in the grand style. If you enjoy Bruckner, Mahler, or Shostakovich, then this work can't fail to please.



The symphonic structure is impressive, the orchestration masterful, the melodic material memorable. Both the music and the performance are passionate.

It is to be hoped that this work's fortunes shall be revived in the concert hall (Barenboim's new recording from Chicago is a promising sign).



Considering the age of the recording (and that it was a live performance too) the sound is actually remarkably good! On a completely different level from the, unfortuneatly, abominable sound of Furtwangler's recording of his own piano concerto with Fischer (a true shame that that recording has deteriorated so much).



In summation, simply masterful in every way."