Search - Ludwig van Beethoven, Christoph von Dohnányi, Philharmonia Chamber Orchestra :: Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 & 5

He did it better in Cleveland

Ryan Richards | Midland, MI United States | 12/11/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I'm an unabashed Dohnányi fan, and while I acknowledge that his recording career has had its ups and downs, his Beethoven Symphony Cycle in Cleveland (recorded throughout the 1980s) was a big win. The Fifth Symphony from that cycle, though without the moment-to-moment tension of Kleiber's famous recording, still has an inexorable forward momentum that captivates me, and the Eroica is taut, bracing and massive all the way through - my favorite overall recording of that symphony.



Given that history, I'm not sure how to respond to this latest offering of repertoire Dohnányi knows so well. The problem, in fact, seems to be that he knows it too well - sufficiently so to let it float by comfortably without any real drama or struggle. The Cleveland cycle was attacked upon its release for being "too perfect," if that is in fact an attack, but Cleveland could still bring the power when the music demanded it, and back then Dohnányi was still in the frame of mind to let them. These interpretations are bland by comparison - technically accomplished, interpretively eloquent, but mellow and uninspiring compared with his earlier efforts. I kept listening in vain for the flow and sweep of those Cleveland recordings to make their appearance here, but it was not to be.



This is not a "bad" CD - Dohnányi has rarely recorded anything that's less than technically solid - but not anything to get the pulse racing either. Thanks to the miracle of the Amazon Marketplace, you can buy Dohnányi's Cleveland recordings of the Third and Fifth Symphonies, get an equally excellent Seventh to boot, and still pay less than you would for this CD. That's the route I'd recommend."

Dohnanyi's Beethoven continues to be correct and cautious

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 11/04/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I've been enthusiastic about Dohnanyi's recent releases with the Philharmonia. His tenure in London was low-key, and without much fanfare he has departed to let Salonen take over the orchestra. Both are refined conductors, as befits a refined ensemble, which is past its glory days under Karajan and Klemperer but doing well, thank you very much. This sounds like the prelude to another invigorating performance, but I'm afraid that Dohnanyi, who blows hot and cold in Beethoven, has reverted to the refined, cautious, rather bloodless style that too often characterized his readings when he was at Cleveland. The tempos taken in the Eroica are conventional -- that is to say, they aren't influenced by period style -- but the lack of emphasis and force is decidedly "authentic," in the bad sense of the word. The musicians play flawlessly, yet Dohnanyi has them pussy-footing everywhere. This is far from my idea of the Eroica.



The Fifth is also well mannered, and if that's a quality you like in Beethoven -- I can't imagine why -- the suavity of the playing and phrasing will appeal to you. The finale acquires an infusion of blood, but it's too late. I am reminded of Bernard Haaitink's Beethoven cycle with the LSO, where enlivened tempos were asked to do all the work in place of genuine passion or original ideas. The same problem exists here. If you already own Dohnani's tepid Beethoven cycle with the Clevelanders on Telarc, this new CD is more of the same."