Search - Beethoven, Mengelberg, Concertgebouw Orchestra :: Symphonies 1-9 / Overtures

Good, but........

Ralph J. Steinberg | New York, NY United States | 05/26/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"With the exception of the "Eroica," this set duplicates the 1940 performances previously found on Phillips issues of this cycle. M & A claims that this "Eroica" is part of that year's cycle; listening carefully to the oboist clearly places this as a later performance, probably contemporary to the 1943 "Egmont" Overture offered here. As for the performances themselves, those for whom alternate renditions exist are generally bettered by those alternates. The Telefunken studio versions of 1, 4, 6, and 8 are not only in superior sound, but sound more smoothly integrated in terms of overall architechtural detail than these somewhat choppy and mannered readings. I have not heard any live alternate performances of 7 and 9, but the live 1942 (?) "Eroica" on Tahra is simply the best Mengelberg "Eroica" I have ever heard, even nudging out the superb Telefunken. That same set's 1943 8 is not noticably inferior in sound to the Telefunken, and does offer the First-Movement exposition repeat as does the live 1940, but again far more smoothly flowing and natural in interpretation. Likewise, 2 on the Tahra outshines that of this present set for the same reasons. In short, this M & A set is not really the best way to become acquainted with Mengelberg's way with Beethoven; the best probably is the Tahra of 2,3, and 8, followed by Pearl's Telefunken set."