Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 7

Unlike I suspect many people I bought this to get a good copy of the Seventh, not the Fifth. However, this rapidly became my usual listening copy of the Fifth as well. Technically the CD is of excellent quality, limited of course by the age of the recording. There are some little noises and scratchs, the "studio cat" chasing mice under the sound floor. These don't detract though, there is very little hiss, the music is clear and easy to listen to. In terms of artistic merit though, Kleiber extracts the very best and then just gives more. Interpretation of any music is always subjective - is my 1930's mono copy of Toscanini better than a 1970's stereo rendition of the same work by Kleiber, or a modern one by Rattle? Different times, different eras - the best I can say is that this is what I reach for when I want either the fifth or seventh, and I have never regretted doing so. Kleiber brings life and vivacity to the music. In particular the third movement of the seventh (once uncharitable described as being like a lot of jumping yaks!) has taken on new life beyond my previous recollections on both vinyl and watching live. I doubt that many people will be disappointed with this CD. Technically I would only rate it as four stars if a modern recording, but considering it's age I would overlook that - one must work with what masters you have and hence give it five.

In the era of CDs, this compilation became one of the most acclaimed recordings of Beethoven's most famous symphony, to a certain extent following in the footsteps of the rave review back in the mid-1970's. This "Fate"/"Schicksal" is red-hot in intensity and surgical in precision. The No. 7 beautifully complements the No. 5 as a coupling on the CD, making this a very concise, much-comprising statement of Beethoven spirit. This may be a good start when you would like your children or students to become interested in classical music. And although many versions do not fall behind this one, you can't go wrong here.

No question but that for me Carlos Kleiber was the best conductor of Beethoven - ever - as his father before him. I'm not a musician so I cannot explain in musical terminology what his magic was except that it is never sloppy or fuzzy. He produces much light, shade, drama, beautiful shaping, and crispness when required - magical. He didn't record enough for me (and my original LP is now worn - thus my need for this excellent CD replacement) but understand that he wanted lots of rehearsal time, and that costs money! He also conducted a live performance of La Boheme at Covent Garden and although an opera I knew backwards, it was as if I was hearing something familiar for the first time. I came out of the theatre in a 'dream'! Anyone with a CD of this?

I'm an aging Metal head and wanted to try something different. Inspired by the classical element present in some of my favorite metal bands e.g. Metallica's 'Master of Puppets,' but more directly in this case, Sepultura's 'Ludwig Van' track off the Clockwork Orange-inspired 'A-Lex,' a few 'Where to start with Classical Music?' searches into Google later, pointed me in this albums' direction a couple of times. Beethoven's' probably the most 'Metal' composer as far I could see as well, so bonus points! As mentioned, I'm not a Classical music buff, so really my opinion is pretty moot, however, I do find the music here to be pretty accessible and very enjoyable to listen to, so to me, that makes this album great! And that's from a Classical virgin! Despite there being different 'tracks,' I feel it's best to listen to this as a whole (if you can), but the individual pieces are great too! Loses one star as, and this might be silly, but to me, the massive dynamic range here (something no doubt atypical of Classical music) is so great, it's hard to find a correct volume without scaring your neighbors or giving yourself a heart attack while driving the car! The low volume sections are sometimes barely audible, whereas when the orchestra 'booms' it's deafening. Probably not the CD's fault, but something I found a little problematic.

The late great Carlos Kleiber could see into Beethoven's mind in a way that no other conductor has been able to do. From the first bars, his interpretation showed a completely new understanding. But the real question must be why Carlos could see into this music in a way that not even his late dad Erich was able to do. Personally, I suspect that Kleiber fils started where Erich left off. But why were our totemic leaders (like Karajan, Böhm, Furtwängler, Haitink, Jochum, Maazel and Wand) not able to penetrate what we all thought was a fairly simple score? Another similar barrier might help answer this question. Look at Beethoven's Missa Solemnis and we find a similar story. The only conductor to get under the skin of this work was a non-typically Beethoven conductor, Nikolaus Harnoncourt who miraculously achieved the deep insight that was missing. (But sadly he died just afterwards). The truth probably is that the scores of the great works never really reveal what the composer was after. No wonder then that conductors who think that their job is to interpret the score miss the possibility of playing what the composer intended, not what he wrote. What would Carlos have gone on to achieve had he not died young (that is young for a conductor, who tend to live long lives)?

LOVELY CONDITION

Happy with purchase. New. No damage to case as sometimes happens. Excellent recording. Just what is was after.

Both symphonies are long held favourites of mine, being representative of Beethoven at the height of his powers. Knowing that this recording has long been the primary recommendation, I treated myself to it. The moving slow movement of the Seventh is particularly impressive to the extent that I almost convinced myself I was hearing it for the first time. A great buy.

Atención amigos del vinilo, como yo. La edición en superaudio es electrizante! La separación de planos sonoros (de canales se dice en Hifi) es increíble. Los detalles tímbricos de ejecución de Kleiber están perfectamente reflejados en esta edición. Respecto a la comparativa con el vinilo, mi único pero sería el timbre, un poquito más natural en los dos discos LP. Pero cada uno tiene su equipo HIFI y lo que escucho en el mío no tiene porqué ser igual en otro. Sin embargo, lo he comprado y merece la pena. Además, sirve para hacer comparativas: SuperaudioCd versus Vinilo Lp.

Il n'y a pas et il n'y aura jamais de version définitive ou parfaite du monument que sont les 9 symphonies de Beethoven. Malheureusement pas d'intégrale de la part de ce grand chef qui nous a laissé que peu de témoignages de son art, répugnant à enregister..l'anti Karajan en quelque sorte. Mais ici, l'interprétation ne peux laisser l'auditeur indifférent. Ces deux symphonies majeures (dont la cinquième et son premier mouvement peut-être qualifié d'"universelle" tant elle parle à l'homme et de l'homme)se déploient sous la baguette de Kleiber avec une évidence absolue qui ne peut êtee attaquée sur aucun point. Les tempi semblent tellement justes et réguliers, sans les formidables brusqueries Karajaniennes, le discours tellement limpide, servi en cela par le chatoiement du Wiener Philarmoniker et un enregistrement original parfait sublimé par une belles remasterisation. Tous les pupitres s'entendent clairement, et quelles que soient les versions que l'auditeur ait écouté auparavant, il découvrira forcément un contre chant ignoré. Il y à là une osmose entre le chef et cet instrument fait de chair et d'émotion qu'est un orchestre philarmonique qui donne pour résultat une parfaite poésie, une grande puissance évocatrice, un sublime spectacle auditif qui laisse l'auditeur quelque peu sidéré par tant de beauté! Pas une version définitive non, mais une version incontournable car sublime.

Très belle interprétation des symphonies 5 et 7 de Beethoven, que je redécouvre !

Wspaniała muzyka klasyka wiedeńskiego wielokanałowa.

すこし盤は汚れていたが拭けば簡単に綺麗になった。 ここはやはり中古ってことだからまぁ問題はないかな 傷らしい傷もなかった。 おとは廉価版のCDしかもってないからきれいに聞こえるっては わかった。でも綺麗すぎるかもしれない。よく映像を4Kにするとき クリーニングしすぎて味がうすくなったものもある。 なんかそれに近い。でも音の忠実さはこっちだろうから 最終盤かな