Search - Abendroth, Gluck, Haydn :: Edition 1

Primarily, more interesting Abendroth

Jeffrey Lee | Asheville area, NC USA | 07/22/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The standout here is the Schubert Ninth, which was recorded in 1955 with the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra. This piece seems to be tailor made for Abendroth. His introduction unfolds slowly, but once things start accelerating his powerfully dynamic approach seizes hold and doesn't let go. I actually prefer this reading to Furtwangler's because of the latter's tendency to virtually crawl when he encounters some of Schubert's slower tempos....Both Weber's Oberon Overture and Gluck's Iphigenie en Aulide Overture are also given readings that resonate with dramatic zest. Though the Mendelssohn Hebrides Overture exudes power too there are moments when it gets a bit raucous. I've heard no one who matches Peter Maag in this work. The Midsummer Night's Dream Overture is without the richness and color of Klemperer or the verve of Szell, and it's also a bit heavy...Despite the fact that Abendroth's Haydn 103 is not the last word in refinement and that it sits at the opposite end of the interpretive spectrum from Beecham's, I find it an interesting account. Though slightly dark, a little beefy and somewhat sober, there's an almost oddly pleasurable quality about it...The same cannot be said for the Mozart Symphony No. 39 which is given a pedestrian performance that fails to capture the special qualities brought to bear in varying degrees by Beecham, Szell and Klemperer...Overall, I rate this set a tad below Volume 2 (previous review), though I'm assigning it four stars principally for the outstanding Schubert Ninth. In both sets the sound quality for mono is very good, and as in set one, aside from the Berlin Radio, other orchestras include the Berlin Philharmonic, Radio Leipzig and Bavarian State."