An oustanding collection at a similarly outstanding price
Larry VanDeSande | Mason, Michigan United States | 04/13/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Colections of Beethoven overtures and incidental music don't come any better than what is presented here by Stanislaw Skowaczewski and the Minnesota Orchestra. Recorded around 1980 and released by Vox, this twofer contains every significant overture and incidental music entrac'te the composer penned. The performances are dynamic without objectionable personal or sytlistic affectation, done in the traditional style on modern instruments.
Best for me is the first disk whose contents are the three 'Lenore' overtures, 'Fidelio' overture, funeral march, chours and soprano solo from 'Leonore Prohaska' with Phyllis Bryn-Julson, and Beethoven's underrated "Name Day" or birthday overture.
In 35 years listening to and collecting Beethoven recordings, this is clearly the most satisfactory collection of this genre I've come across. It is miles ahead of more expensive collections by Karajan, Marriner and Zinman includes music not regularly released in "complete" overture recordings.
For the pittance asked here, you can't go wrong with this."
A find
Larry VanDeSande | 07/30/1999
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Do you want an inexpensive, exciting set of Beethoven overtures? Don't hesitate with this set! Beware, though, that the sound, which is quite listenable (ADD), is not up to snuff with the other recordings by these forces on this label."
Must have Beethoven works, well recorded
Larry VanDeSande | 12/19/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I highly recommend these two CD's, especially at this price. Vox Box has some excellent recordings, such as this one. If you always thought there was more to Beethoven's symphonic repertoire than his symphonies and overtures, you were right. His incidental music is awesome. I LOVE the Turkish March from the Ruins of Athens, almost a symphonic equivalent of Mozart's Rondo alla turca. While my favorite recording of the Egmont overture remains Kurt Masur, these recordings are also very good, and the sound from the 1970's is still fresh."
Don't Overlook This Set
Neal Stevens | Greensboro, NC | 03/02/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This set is delightful. The Beethoven Overtures so often sound hard, cold, and abrupt. On this set they sound delightful. Tempos are more varied than on typical recordings, creating more of a contrast between the charming and humorous sections, the lush slow sections, and the potboiling loud and fast sections. So, it is more intersting and more fun to listen too than others, but the listener does not miss out on the histrionics. This sounds like the kind of interpretation that Beecham might have done if he would have had the opportunity to record these works in modern sound.
The sound is quite good. Track one on CD 1 is more distant and reverberant than the rest. Otherwise, the sound is clear and free of distortion. The strings sound bloomy and sweet. The bass is solid, and not overdone. The Minnesota orchestra plays very well with particular kudos to whomever played the flute in these recordings.