Search - Ludwig van Beethoven, Sergiu Celibidache, Münchner Philharmoniker :: CELIBIDACHE / Münchner Philharmoniker - Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 / Leonore III Overture

My new benchmark of the Pastoral!

Richard Steiger | 09/08/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony was the first classical LP I ever owned. Since then I have bought several different versions (Karajan 60's, Norrington/LCP, Glenn Gould playing Liszt's piano reduction) over the years, but this newly released Celibidache recording is now my current top favorite -- my new benchmark recording. S.C. conducts at a speed somewhere between the Karajan 60 and the Gould Lizst piano reduction, but in the process he brings out a variety of different textures in the work that others seem to have missed. I have a few more versions of the 6th to check out but this one, followed by the Karajan, will be my benchmark against other versions!"

A pastoral for the ages!

Richard Steiger | Murray, KY USA | 02/11/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Although Celibidache was better known for his Bruckner and Brahms, he could also be a magnificent Beethoven conductor. I defy anyone not terminally prejudiced against leisurely tempi to listen to this performance without concluding that this is one of the all-time great Pastorals. Celibidache's tempi may be slower than usual, but the rhythmic pulse is so lively, the work never drags but flows naturally from phrase to phrase. And what glorious colors he and his great orchestra release (aided by a superb recording). The finale, in particular, is grand and full-throated, the final passages coming across as a benediction for the whole symphony. If you can find this recording, snap it up. You'll never hear another like it."