Beethoven - Complete Symphonies
£10.64
- Sym No.1 in C, Op.21: I. Adagio Molto - Allegro Con Brio
- Sym No.1 in C, Op.21: II. Andante Cantabile Con Moto
- Sym No.1 in C, Op.21: III. Menuetto: Allegro Molto E Vivace
- Sym No.1 in C, Op.21: IV. Adagio - Allegro Molto E Vivace
- Sym No.3 in E flat, Op.55 Eroica : I. Allegro Con Brio
- Sym No.3 in E flat, Op.55 Eroica : II. Marcia Funebre. Adagio Assai
- Sym No.3 in E flat, Op.55 Eroica : III. Scherzo - Allegro Vivace
- Sym No.3 in E flat, Op.55 Eroica : IV. Finale: Allegro Molto - Poco Andante - Presto
- The Creatures Of Prometheus Ov, Op.43
Essential for the library - I ve not much to add to the reviews already posted. This is such a great value set that it would be foolish not to buy it. Norrington s interpretations are quirky and may not be to everyone s taste (especially if you re used to hearing more stately performances). However, I don t agree with the notion that these performances don t carry weight, in comparison to other recordings.The feather-light touch of the LCP let s the textures breathe so much better than heavier versions, that the poignant and powerful moments in every symphony automatically grow in stature and impact.Go on...for this price you might as well give it a try, even if you re still not convinced by the endorsements of myself and others!
A superb cycle..... - It s all too easy when discussing Beethoven symphony cycles to get bogged down in technical details as to how to interpret this or that tempo marking and lose sight of the performances. No cycle, be it Harnoncourt or Karajan, is ever going to please everybody and this set is no exception.The playing is full, yet still sprightly and the rhythms are delightful and carefully weighted. This isn t Karajan, so the tuttis don t have the same impact, but then it also lacks the bombast that creeps into Karajan s performances. Norrington draws passionate playing from The London Classical Players and the set just seems right .This is period performance but where The Hanover Band sometimes sounded thin, this is full blooded music making. The whole set is recorded beautifully. The notes are brief but useful, though I m not sure why the cover etching is described as a photo....All in all an excellent set in a very crowded field, it holds its own against Karajan & Harnoncourt and rises above such worthies as Barenboim and Rattle....
Back to the original! Beethoven as he might have heard it! - The story goes that this is Beethoven as he might have heard it, well at least the earlier and middle symphonies before he went Mutt n Jeff. The nasty Victorians and their musical successors are supposed to have changed the way his music is performed by: by speeding up the slow passages and movements, and slowing down the faster ones. They are also responsible for smoothing some of the more raucous parts, to make them more decorous. In Norrington s recreation of the original, Beethoven s trumpets sometimes wah like car horns. This is Beethoven before he was put on a pedestal and his symphones became the gods murmering of eternal truths, mumble mumble. I commend these performances to you, even if you couldn t stand Beethoven as you heard him by Karajan, etc. And the price, well...how can you lose? (If it all goes wrong they ll impress your guests if you use them as drinks coasters.) Buy this collection!
Norrington is Fun and Important - Everyone needs a Norrington take on Beethoven - especially at such a low price. I grew up on Karajan Beethoven - it nearly killed me off Ludwig for life. Dull, portentous, self important and slow. Unfortunately, most conductors still seem to believe that this is the only way to approach Beethoven. Even the Harnoncourt set suffers this - especially his 9th. Norrington, however, brings Beethoven to life - especially Beethoven the humourist, the imaginative. While this means that the 3rd, 5th and 7th come off a bit light, it means that 2, 4, 6, 8 and most of the 9th are simply glorious. As long as you don t come to these with some idea that Beethoven s music is some sacrosanct great text, there is plenty to enjoy and, sometimes, enrage.
Puckish Beethoven - Roger Norrington appears determined to exploit these scores as display pieces for his quick wit and quirky manner. At first hearing it can be engaging and enjoyable. Lots of unexpected twists and turns, audaciously swift ‘slow movements’ and everywhere a light-hearted, silvery elan.But these virtues hold little promise of lasting satisfaction. And that’s how it turns out. Beyond the (frankly not very shocking) shock of the unexpected (try Harnoncourt!) and the delicious piquancy conjured by the London Classical Players from their ‘authentic’ instruments there is little on offer - little depth beneath a shimmering surface.Quiet passages are merely that, quiet - generating no real tension, no frisson (listen to what should be the mesmerising introduction to the 4th). Climaxes erupt splendidly but are not constructed, they don’t develop or evolve and so they have little purpose beyond excitement (for example what should be the triumphant conclusion of the 7th - compare Harnoncourt!).The set is certainly worth hearing - in his own way Norrington gives an appealing, entertaining ‘alternative view’ of these great symphonies. But these are great symphonies! - they have many more important things to say to us than will be found in these crazed performances. I could imagine that if Shakespeare’s Puck - Robin Goodfellow - were a conductor this is how he’d do Beethoven.