Search - Beethoven, Szell, Vpo :: Beethoven: Egmont / Szell, Lorengar, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

All Talking, All Singing, All Playing

Artiste | Minneapolis, MN USA | 01/22/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I had this on LP ages ago and always loved it because it was unfamiliar Beethoven, and because it had the lovely singing of Pilar Lorengar. In addition, there's spoken text delivered by narrator Wussow, who makes the German language sound positively beautiful. Even if you don't understand German at all, you'll be impressed. The wonderful Egmont overture is powerfully delivered by Szell (who decides to hum along during the closing bars), and the rest of the music is Beethoven you don't hear every day, including a number of lovely melodies sung by the wonderful Lorengar. This is a little jewel of a CD."

The best, most complete recording of Beethoven's Egmont musi

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 08/17/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Klemperer made a prominent recording of four excerpts from Beethoven's music to Schiller's drama, Egmont, but only Szell gives us stretches of interwoven dialogue from the play. These readings are particularly moving at the climax when Egmont is executed--one catches the tragic nobility of this martyred revolutionary who appealed to Beethoven's fervent feelings about political freedom. In adddition, Szell's cnducting is crisp and authoritative, Lorengar's singing is lovely, if not always steady, and the Vienna Phil. plays gloriously. The CD is short shrift so far as timing goes, but I've treasured this collection since its release in the Sixties.



Note: All tis music can be had in Decca's bargain collection of Szell's complete recordings for that company."

Szell's Memorial

William L. Chin | Upland CA USA | 11/14/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This was Dr. Szell's last official recording and a special one, as he maintains his disciplined appraoch but tenderly works with the famed Vienna Philharmonic in producing a performance which is at times beautiful beyond words. The sound on my LP and also on my CD excerpts (mated with the Beethoven 3rd symphony conducted by Schmidt Isserstedt) is wonderful. Highest recommendation for this digital version of the complete Egmont music. He hums along with the coda of every Egmont overture performance I own, including this one."