Symphony No.5 In C Minor, Op.67: 1. Allegro con brio
Symphony No.5 In C Minor, Op.67: 2. Andante con moto
Symphony No.5 In C Minor, Op.67: 3. Allegro
Symphony No.5 In C Minor, Op.67: 4. Allegro
Symphony No. 3 In E Flat Major, Op.97 'Rhenish': 1. Lebhaft
Symphony No. 3 In E Flat Major, Op.97 'Rhenish': 2. Scherzo. Sehr massig
Symphony No. 3 In E Flat Major, Op.97 'Rhenish': 3. Nicht schnell
Symphony No. 3 In E Flat Major, Op.97 'Rhenish': 4. Feierlich
Symphony No. 3 In E Flat Major, Op.97 'Rhenish': 5. Lebhaft
Carlo Maria Giulini's extraordinary tenure at the L.A. Philharmonic was tragically cut short by his wife's serious illness. However, the partnership did produce a series of fine recordings, none better than this urgently... more » expressive performance of the Fifth. Although American orchestras come in for their share of criticism on account of their brilliant sound (let's face it, the Europeans are jealous), Giulini trained this orchestra squarely in the Central European tradition--of string-based sonority accompanied by delicate winds, burnished brass, and a rock-solid bottom end from timpani, trombones, and basses. This is Romantic Beethoven, grand and glorious (particularly in the finale), but always urgent and firm in rhythm. Super Schumann, too. The recorded sound matches the interpretations perfectly. --David Hurwitz« less
Carlo Maria Giulini's extraordinary tenure at the L.A. Philharmonic was tragically cut short by his wife's serious illness. However, the partnership did produce a series of fine recordings, none better than this urgently expressive performance of the Fifth. Although American orchestras come in for their share of criticism on account of their brilliant sound (let's face it, the Europeans are jealous), Giulini trained this orchestra squarely in the Central European tradition--of string-based sonority accompanied by delicate winds, burnished brass, and a rock-solid bottom end from timpani, trombones, and basses. This is Romantic Beethoven, grand and glorious (particularly in the finale), but always urgent and firm in rhythm. Super Schumann, too. The recorded sound matches the interpretations perfectly. --David Hurwitz
CD Reviews
Excellent. A Reference Work.
Erik North | 11/20/1998
(5 out of 5 stars)
"It is not always easy to describe Giulini's style. "Reserved" is the word that comes immediately to mind. "Slow" is another. These descriptions that I have for the man are shaped by his opera repertoire, of which I must admit I am not a tremendous fan. Not so with this recording!! The first movement is fast, yet never sounds rushed. "Urgent" is probably accurate. The next two display near-flawless performances, with Giulini getting the most out of the subtleties of the work. And the fourth movement is excellent- grand, triumphant, and joyous, much as it should in such a back-heavy piece as the 5th. What I enjoyed most about this recording is the sound. Staging is very good, with tight string and horn sections. The bass is smooth- almost buttery. And the horns!! Their brilliance is wonderful, yet not overwhelming. Overall, one of the best recordings of the 5th in the past three decades, superior in this reviewer's opinion to Bernstein and von Karajan. All of this applies for the most part to the Schubert symphony as well. Sometimes the image is a little looser, and Giulini seems to have less control over the sound, but it is still an appropriate companion to the Beethoven."
Great Beethoven/Schumann pairing from Los Angeles
Erik North | San Gabriel, CA USA | 02/19/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Though he was only with them a few short years, Carlo Maria Giulini's tenure as music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, replacing the great Zubin Mehta, was a richly rewarding time. Probably the best proof of that is in the recording of these two great German warhorses--the Beethoven 5th and Schumann's celebrated "Rhenish" symphony.Both recorded at UCLA's Royce Hall--the Schumann in December 1980, the Beethoven two years later--this recording displays the orchestra at its very best under Giulini's inspired direction. Though his tempos would later become very slow, this is not the case with these two pieces, both of which flow very evenly by and make for a great seventy-two minutes worth of listening. The Schumann is excellently done, so much so that it may be one of the finest recordings of this work in the last forty years. Beethoven's 5th, meanwhile, is given a superb performance that is arguably surpassed by no one else, with the possible exception of Carlos Kleiber's celebrated 1976 Vienna Philharmonic recording.A unique pairing of two seemingly different but equally dramatic German symphonic works, this recording comes vigorously recommended."
A very, very fine recording
Keith Peters | 07/21/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I was privileged to be in Los Angeles when Carlo Maria Giulini had his unfortunately short tenure with the Philharmonic there. But from 1978 through 1984, if one went to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion when Giulini conducted the orchestra, one heard some of the finest music making ever. The Philharmonic musicians truly played their hearts out for him. This recording is a prime example. This was the first recording of the Schumann Rhenish that I owned and it remains the "perfect" one to my ears. Tempos to me seem absolutely right and balances are wonderful. The Beethoven is another excellent recording and fully deserving of the phrase definitive. Get this recording!"
Exhilarating! One of the Best Despite a Couple of Reservatio
dv_forever | Michigan, USA | 01/07/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Wow, just hearing the first movement should have you jumping around and conducting with your eyes closed. The sound that the LAPO produces is just about perfect for Beethoven, I love the lush strings, the pounding timpani and the thrilling horns of this orchestra and they give a majestic performance of this most famous symphony. The first movement is absolutely one of the best I've ever heard, much better than Carlos Kleiber! The only first movement that compares is Karajan's ultra intense 1962 version, which is truly grim and thrilling but Giulini even beats Karajan in some respects. Obviously the slow movement is gorgeous, Giulini leads us on with an expansive tempo and the most wonderful playing from his orchestra, the horns are awesome, no doubt about it! Unforgettable. The scherzo is not as driven as Karajan but the transition to the finale is highly combustible. The finale starts off explosively and wrings out every drop of emotion imaginable. Giulini takes a moderate tempo in the finale, emphasizing it's majestic nature but he also observes the exposition repeat in the finale. Later, because of the overall moderate tempo, towards the end of the symphony, things drag a bit. Oh, so what? The whole thing sounds pretty inevitable and romantically grandiose anyway, it works out. I just think that Giulini should have either taken a faster tempo in the finale or used the tempo he takes but dropped the repeat. You can't have everything when it comes to such an ultimately satisfying performance.
The Schumann Symphony 3, The 'Rhenish' is the coupling. Giulini's version is among the best ever recorded, powerful, lyrical and completely involving. The Cologne Cathedral movement is noteworthy, Giulini takes a faster tempo here than I would have liked but it sounds right somehow. I know for instance Karajan's Cologne Cathedral movement is too expansive in his Schumann recording.
The sound for both symphonies is utterly awesome, weighty, powerful, lush and with plenty of detail and ambience. Who would have known, Deutsche Grammophon could actually make some great digital recordings?! This CD is a must own for fans of great music and shows how fascinating a conductor Carlo Maria Giulini really was."
Track Listings (9) - Disc #1