Search - Beethoven, Barbirolli :: Symphony 3 / Elizabethean Suite

Monumentally heroic

Hung T. N. Tony | Hong Kong | 02/03/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Make no mistake -- this is the grandest, noblest, most monumentally heroic performance of the Eroica Symphony available on CD. Everything that 'Glorious John' recorded was imbued with humanity and individuality, and never more so than here. True, it is also one of the slowest performances ever, and if you like your Eroica fast and furious, you should opt for Bernstein (NYPO) or Karajan (1977) instead. But as Barbirolli has triumphantly shown (and Klemperer and Giulini too for that matter), this is a symphony which gains most from a broad, spacious approach. The BBC Symphony may not be one of the top orchestras, but they played gloriously for Barbirolli, and the late 60's recording still sounds well. One can only be grateful to Dutton and the Barbirolli Society for 'rescuing' this great recording from oblivion. Shame on EMI, who made the original recording, for neglecting it for so many years, whilst issuing so many other less worthy recordings of this symphony at every price range. Do they have any conception of artistic worth?"

Barbirolli & Beethoven's 3rd: Big, Beefy, and Dramatic

Dan Fee | Berkeley, CA USA | 08/31/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What a pity that this CD recording of Beethoven's Third Symphony by Barbirolli and the BBC Symphony has gone out of print! Since it was first selected as a Critic's Choice of the month, in the old Stereo Review (U.S.A.) magazine (issued then on LP); it has continued to be one of my favorites. Of course, the famous broadness of tempo that Sir John could occasion obtains here. But he makes his slower tempo serve many purposes, from being able to emphasize the sforzando markings on a wide and differentiated dramatic scale, to being able to conjure orchestral textures of whispering gossamer lightness. All of these various extremes would serve no purposes if the maestro were simply showing off his conducting abilities; but instead, Barbirolli inspires his players to dig deeply into the shadows and lights of this revolutionary symphony. Barbirolli unfolds the whole panorama of our human existential situation ... Kierkegaardian, if you will ..., tragically characterizing all without sentimentality. Even with all the great and serious drama that Barbirolli brings to the symphony, it still has more than enough warm human-heartedness to draw us into the ascending and expanding spirits of that sort of music Beethoven was to eventually reveal in mystic perfection in his late works. Thus, if you are only a fan of the modern, period-instrument approaches to Beethoven .... all fleet drama, and quicksilvered insight, ... this performance will gall you. On the other hand, it represents a different approach to the matters at hand. And taken seriously, it offers other deeps and darks of spiritual resourcefulness, hardly connoted in the period-band styles that have taken center-stage for standards of Beethoven performance nowadays. So, if you can find this among the neglected treasures of some used CD store, my advice is snatch it up right away. Among the peers of its style of Beethoven interpretation, it remains peerless. Highly recommended, and don't completely give up looking."

Huge - Barbirolli's Finest

Ed Luhrs | Long Island, NY USA | 08/29/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is among the most massive interpretations of No. 3 that you can get. It's a slow and rolling thunder that pops in all the right places, not the least of which is the finale. One reviewer compared the journey in this performance to climbing Mount Everest... well put. Compare the approach here to the zippy version of the same symphony by Jordi Savall and Les Concert des Nations. Savall the Catalonian makes brilliant recordings of Handel and ancient music, yet I strongly suggest hearing Barbirolli's performance of the "Eroica." The digital remastering and acoustics are especially complementary to Barbirolli's musical vision. Great, great Beethoven."