Search - Beethoven, Reiner, Chicago So :: Symphonies 3 5 6 & 7

Sometimes a 3, sometimes a 4, sometimes a 5.

D. M. Skora | Chicago | 11/20/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Everything about this album has to do with Maestro Reiner's heart attack of 1961. That heart attack meant that he was far more cautious on the podium than before; on-air recordings of Reiner attacking the Fifth (and I mean attacking) were amazing. The Kleibers had nothing on earlier Reiner. But this Fifth was recorded after the heart attack, when he was very cautious, even to the point of sacrificing his vision of the work. It's competent, but either the Erich Kleiber recording w/ the Concertgebouw or his son's with Vienna are far more impressive than this recorded example.The Sixth, by the way, benefits somewhat from "the attack": Reiner's willingness to lay off pays off in allowing the CSO to really play in this recording. But he seems a bit disinvolved, and I would urge you to seek out the extrordinary Bohm-Berlin performance on DG.BUT!!!! The 7th is filled with life and extrordinary playing (dates pre-attack; no wonder) and is Reiner/CSO at an amazing level. But even more important is the Third, which was one of only two albums Reiner recorded in hi-fi mono in Chicago. Yes, it's mono. It's also the BEST damn Third I've ever heard; Reiner approaches it from an almost clinical perspective, reducing the music to its essentials and laying bare the Third like never before--or since. It is almost a mathematical equation in his hands; it unfolds, seems so innately LOGICAL, and yet so magnificently lyrical but yet independent. It makes Beethoven's point about the Third, which so many are puzzled by. No one claiming to be serious about Beethoven can be without this Third. It is a gift from the musical gods."

From ground level to the mountain top.

Jeffrey Lee | Asheville area, NC USA | 01/08/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"First, though it is well played, Reiner's version of the Sixth or "Pastorale" Symphony does not radiate the kind of warmth and/or satisfying musical detail offered consistently by Walter, Klemperer and Abendroth in their very pleasing interpretations. In fact, along emotional grounds, the conductor seems to be rather detached, although his storm sequence makes it seem as if the entire sky is caving in. In contrast to the others, he is also somewhat deliberate (though not in quite the same manner as Klemperer), thereby negating, to some extent, the music's sense of flow. I'll pass on this one...The Third ("Eroica") is the kind of performance that will undoubtedly draw loud cheers from some. It is extremely well executed, and its pace sometimes attains a near blinding speed. It unfolds even faster than Szell's blazing version, but it loses in the process some of the meatier musical details. While Szell moves rapidly, he still manages to salvage some of those details. Moreover, he imparts a greater feeling of cumulative power in the closing measures of the final movement. In broadening the sound of the horns toward that close, he also suffuses them with an element of near awe-inspiring majesty. These observations notwithstanding, I still prefer overall Bohm's less fast paced but more nicely detailed Vienna Philharmonic account...For a number of years, some have ascribed classic status to Reiner's Beethoven Fifth. Though he generally gives a driving performance, there are moments when some passages bog down. I prefer the 1962 Karajan reading....The Seventh is the best of the lot, and like the Fifth, has enjoyed high regard. No other Seventh has displaced it in my affections. It seems much better suited to Reiner's style than the Sixth because of the conductor's affinity for drive and energy over having to dote over friendly and more warmly expressive detail. But the Seventh also calls for stateliness. If executed in the proper manner, it can be lifted to Olympian heights, and this is precisely what Reiner accomplishes in this soaring performance. Listen to the sense of abandon and grandeur he conveys in the first movement. Nor is a feeling for maintaining the musical line lost. Here is truly one of the great conductors of yesteryear at his musical zenith. Even in the second movement allegretto, the strings of Reiner's Chicago Symphony project a marvelous feeling of exaltation. The third movement has the right mix of ebb and flow. Ringing declarations and high spirits are also exhibited in proper measure. The final movement ices the cake. It is charged and freewheeling without going over the top, its pulsating verve resounding to the very end...I'll take this as my desert island Beethoven Seventh."

More great Beethoven from Reiner, but not in the best sound.

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 01/10/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First off, the reviewer below who thinks that these Beethoven recordings from Fritz Reiner and the CSO are "all about his heart attack" in 1961 is right only about the Sixth, recorded in 1963. The Fifth Sym. dates from 1959, the Seventh from 1955. This French RCA packagig is the only way to get those last two classic performances along with the Eroica and Pastorale Sym., but unfortunately there's no documentation. The Gramophone dates the Eroica to 1957.



I've reviewed the superlative Fifth and Seventh in detail elsewhere--I would put them near the top of my list of favorites. Both sound better in their Living Stereo version than here. The Eroica and Pastorale badly need remastering also, but you can't ask for everything at this price. These performances are at the Toscanini-Szell end of the spectrum. Reiner takes mostly fast tempos, uses little rubato, and keeps a lean, tensile line. But putting a great conductor in a category is futile. His way with Beethoven is unique to himself. The CSO certainly far outclasses Toscanini's NBC Sym. in execution, and Reiner is never as brusque as Szell. These are thrilling performances in terms of ensemble and precise execution--perhaps a bit too precise in the Scherzo and finale of the Eroica, which show some sacrifice of emotional depth.



The Pastorale (in better sound than the Eroica) is the most low-key reading. Speculating about Reiner's declining health makes some sense (he seems tired in other late projects, such as the Verdi Requiem and Brahms Hungarian Dances for Decca). The first movement is relaxed and flowing, without Reiner's usual strong accents. The second movement is warm and genial, a bit on the dainty side. The Scherzo and storm movement feel a bit devitalized, but the serene finale is extremely good, a true hymn to nature.



In sum, it's hard to imagine a finer colleciton of Beethoven from the golden age of stereo, even if the sonics aren't quite as golden as they could be.







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