Search - Ludwig van Beethoven, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Felix [1] Mendelssohn :: Fritz Busch

A Fully Worthy "Great Conductor" Selection

Jeffrey Lipscomb | Sacramento, CA United States | 06/23/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Fritz Busch (1890-1951) is one of the most deserving selections in this "Great Conductors of the 20th Century" series from IMG/EMI. Like Erich Kleiber, Busch was a non-Jewish conductor who elected to flee Germany with the advent of the Third Reich. And like Kleiber, Busch paid the price by never having a full-time, prestige post thereafter. But his subsequent readings of Mozart operas at Glyndebourne, and his work with the Danish State Radio Orchestra (DSRO), are among the greatest recordings ever made.



CD1 here contains Beethoven's Leonore III (DSRO "live" 1950), Mozart's "Linz" Symphony (DSRO 1949), Mendelssohn's "Italian" Symphony (DSRO "live" 1950 - from the same concert as the Leonore III), and Brahms' "Tragic Overture" (DSRO "live" 1950).



This is a fine Leonore, although it really "takes off" only in the closing pages. It is already available in a better transfer on Vol. 20 of DG's "Historic Beethoven" set - so its inclusion here is somewhat redundant. The "Linz" has long been my favorite recording of the work, just ahead of Scherchen, Koussevitzky, Otterloo and Matzerath. It's also a fine transfer - but I wish that room had been found here for its original HMV LP discmate - a superb Haydn #88.



This "Italian" is my desert island choice. While I also admire the early Koussevitzky and the Toscanini, Busch's reading has more sensible tempos - and the string playing is incredibly lyrical throughout. The Brahms "Tragic" is wonderfully weighty and ruminative - it's one of my favorite readings, along with those by Hans Knappertsbusch (M&A), Fritz Lehmann (Decca LP), Otto Matzerath (Webster LP), and Willem Mengelberg (Naxos).



CD2 opens with Weber's "Der Freischutz" Overture (DSRO 1948), and is followed by Haydn's Sinfonia Concertante (1951 DSRO), Brahms' 2nd Symphony (DSRO 1947), and Richard Strauss's "Don Juan" (1936 London Philharmonic).



This Weber is a fine reading, but it strikes me as a little reticent when compared with the Kleiber and Furtwangler. Busch's Brahms Symphony #2 is a MAGNIFICENT reading. I feel it is the finest "classical" account of the score - it ranks with Furtwangler ("live" 1952 BPO on EMI) and Schuricht/VPO (London LP) as one of the three greatest interpretations ever. Busch studied conducting at the Cologne Conservatory with Fritz Steinbach, who was reputed to be Brahms' favorite conductor of his symphonies, and this account is probably similar to what Brahms so admired. I happen to have a rather sentimental attachment here: my piano teacher from 1955 to 1964 was that conductor's first couin once removed Gretchen Steinbach. I should add that the fine Swiss conductor Peter Maag was Steinbach's great nephew. Busch was also regarded as one of the greatest Strauss conductors - and this "Don Juan" certainly confirms that perception (sadly, it has the poorest sound in this set).



This is one of the few entries in the "Great Conductors" series that displays a representative cross-section of a maestro's art in well-selected performances. But if given a say in the matter, I would have skipped the Leonore, Freitschutz and Sinfonia Concertante in favor of that regal Haydn #88. And that would have left enough room for the stupendous "live" 1942 NY Phil. Beethoven Violin Concerto, which featured the conductor's brother Adolf Busch as soloist. To my ears, it is the only recorded account that rivals the classic 1932 Szigeti/Walter. But regardless of my quibbles, this wonderful 2-disc Busch set is utterly indispensable."

The Anti-Knapperts-busch

Wayne A. | Belfast, Northern Ireland | 01/14/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Fast, fast, and fast, but the results, even with not the best orchestras, are exhilarating. Is this a function of the recording era (short takes) or Busch's training, which was very much of the previous century? The perfect Mozart from Glyndbourne isn't like this at all. Stories have it that everyone, from Mendelssohn on, conducted fast back then, sometimes insanely fast. Hmmm. Speed, or lack of it as Knappertsbusch frequently demonstrated, isn't the big issue (although one bizarre reviewer in a major publication compares timings of recordings--a phenomenon that drags the credibility of that publication down a bit). It's how one makes things hang together that matters.



The Brahms here, as everyone seems to agree, is something very special--especially given Busch's lineage to the master. Complaints about the Don Juan are trivial--it's an amazing performance that show real attention to the score without being the least bit fussy. The other offerings here, although mixed a hair, are generally very-to-extremely satisfying. I'd agree this is one of the best releases in this series, which was, despite some curmudgeonly complaints, oneof the best classical sampler sets of releases in memory"

A beloved conductor, but don't expect much from the orchestr

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 11/09/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Fritz Busch, who died prematruely at age 60, never made it into the stereo era. In fact, the latest of these performances are from 1950, the year before his death. busch is forgotten by the general public, although his famous Mozart operas from Glyndebourne are classics in England. He had no eccentricites as a conductor, was very musical, tended to be light and brisk, and to my ears rarely rose to inspired heights.



Both CDs are marked by variable sound, ranging from murky radio braodcasts to fairly clear studio sound. Except for the Strauss Don Juan (1936) that ends CD 2, all these performances are with the Danish Radio Orchestra, a scrappy band that a superior student orchestra could outplay today. The strings are barely able to cope with the faster passages in the Leonore II Over. on CD 1. Busch pushes them almost beyond their limits in a too-brisk Mozart Linz Sym. But his warm reading of the delightful Haydn Sinfonia Concertante brings out good-enough playing.



I find it hard to get past these technical limitations, though in pieces like the Brahms Tragic Over. and the Freischutz Over. one can hear how good Busch'es underlying conception is. The major work on CD 2 is a Brahms Second from 1947. The first movement begins alarmingly fast but makes musical sense. These traits hold true for the other movements as well--this is a fast-flowing reading. The mono sound is among the clearest in the set, but I don't quite get why Busch wanted to rush through, given the technical limitaitons of the Danish strings. The collection ends with a thrilling Strauss Don Juan from 1936 with Beecham's London Philharmonic. Again, the tempo is light and fast, but at least the orchestra can more than keep up. Four stars is generous."