Search - Beethoven, Furtwangler, Vienna Phil Orch :: Symphonies 5 & 7

The best Beethoven I ever heard

Nelson Jose De Camargo | São Paulo, Brazil | 01/25/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Furtwängler's performance of Beethoven's Fifth is simply the best I ever heard. The interpretation is powerful, full of passion and intensity. The sound is quite good for a 1954 recording, and the Vienna Philharmonic plays as well as usually. If you really like Beethoven's Fifth, you must have this recording. The 7th interpretation is also very good, but the sound is not so good. But the allegretto sounds so beautifuly! A really good performance!"

A very interesting CD!

Lasse Søager | Copenhagen, Denmark | 03/14/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is perhaps the most interesting interpretations of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony I've ever heard. Especially today, with period-instrument performances being comme il faut, Furtwängler is a conductor to be remembered. Furtwängler did not care about any such thing as a "period performance" - indeed noone had thought of the concept - but focused more on his personal interpretation of the work. And very personal indeed! His tempi and use of rubato is very old-fashioned and unsuitable to Beethoven to the modern ear, but still the effect is stunning. Especially the transistion from the 3rd to the 4th mvt. is very moving. Furtwängler manages to settle the music in what seems to be an unfathomable abyss before bringing it to the peak of the highest mountain after the terrific crescendo. Very convincing.His reading of the Seventh Symphony seems to me less remarkable though still very good - it's just not spectacularly personal like the Fifth.The only real setback of this compilation is the quality of the sound. Even bearing in mind that the recording material is almost fifty years old, it still seems that another technical brush-up by EMIs skilled sound technicians would favour the CD."

Unforgettable!

Sungu Okan | Istanbul, Istanbul Turkey | 05/08/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD has two historic recordings of Furtwangler. These performances are in cult status. Furtwangler and his Wiener Philharmoniker performed so sensitive and Beethovenien power. In my opinion, Wilhelm Furtwangler's Beethoven readings are definitive. Actually, there are "authentic" readings with period instruments made by Harnoncourt, Norrington, Hogwood. But these Furtwangler readings (may be both in modern and authentic reading) are reference, I think. Furtwangler, of course, one of the greatest conductors of century, and these Beethoven recs. are his best.



Symphony No. 5 performed not fast, flamboyant as Karajan. But Furtwangler sound has a more deep atmosphere, it is more phsycological, impressive. Because, he didn't take a fast tempo, so he could give the full precious meanings of all Beethoven notes! The first movement is tremendous, and 2nd slow movement is a lyric singing music. The last movement is triumphant, of course.



Symphony No. 7 is marvellous too. Especially the famous 2nd Allegretto movement is may be the best performance, you can weep whn you listen it. It is really drammatic, pathetic.



The sound quality is very good mono, recorded in 1950's. Even, these are historic recs. And worth to listening.



At this price, you can not wrong with it. Highly recommended.

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