Eduard Van Beinum Great Condu [Import]

You would think that a series devoted to "Great Conductors" would be making a case for that claim. This van Beinum set oddly pulls its punches in that respect. Put his Brahms First (1958) and Bruckner Eighth (1956) -- both currently unavailable -- in the package and add, say, some live performances of Debussy and you would have a set of performances that would stand up to any. Instead, we get Scheherazade and some overture bon-bons, an early Schubert symphony (not bad, but you should hear Beinum's Schubert Third!) along with a live Brahms Second.

Add to this a gratuitous quote in the notes from the omnipresent -- though long dead -- John Culshaw to the effect that Beinum was not really a very exciting conductor, and you have to wonder what case these people were trying to make.

A hint: All this repertoire, with the exception of the live Brahms performance, was included in a commemorative 8 LP box set by Philips a number of years ago. This suggest that not a lot of original thought, or care, went into the selections. (And perhaps a ready-made package deal on release rights did?)

The bottom line in all this is that at mid-price the set is worth it for the Scherazade alone. But in no way is it representative of van Beinum's art.

It's sad that the "Great Conductors of the 20th Century" reissue series has not gotten more notice on Amazon and in other places, because it has my vote for the best reissue program thus far of the 21st Century. Drawing from the archives of all the major classical labels (EMI, Sony, BMG, DG, Decca, Philips, Supraphon, etc.), EMI and IMG Artists have assembled a wonderful series of affordable two-disc sets by the leading conductors of the last century. And unlike its counterpart, "The Great Pianists of the 20th Century," which are basically compilations of material already available on other CDs, the "Great Conductors" features rare and, for the most part, previously unreleased performances! And as if that wasn't enough, the most recent volumes (beginning with no. 26) are now available at mid-line instead of full-price!

This particular CD, Volume 26, features the great Eduard Van Beinum, best remembered as Willem Mengelberg's successor at the Concertgebouw. Unfortunately, Van Beinum died of a heart attack at the age of 58 in 1959 leaving us precious few recordings, particularly ones in stereo. The previous reviewer has spared me the arduous task of detailing the contents of this collection, but he has also been a bit harsh in his assessment of this set. I have deeply enjoyed and learned much from this and other critiques by the previous reviewer. Certainly this material isn't essential, but by giving a two-star review he misses the spirit of this reissue. In a world of increasingly homogenized classical music sections, it is a wonder that these collections have been issued at all. Thankfully they have so a new generation of classical devotees, like myself, can now benefit from their availability.

Note: Based on a combination of relistening, reflecting and the concerned comments of a fellow Amazon reviewer--I do agree with him that my initial rating was too rough--I have decided to revise that rating (as indicated above). The text of my review, as it was originally written, has not changed... Right off, I will say that all of the selections here were well recorded, except for the Don Juan (more about later). I am not very familiar with Thomas' Mignon Overture, a seemingly attractive piece, but Van Beinum makes it sound pleasant enough. In the Schubert Sixth Symphony, there is an odd juxtaposition of interpretive traits. Not infrequently, Van Beinum alternates between being too formal and pounding the daylights out of things. With charm and elegance on a holiday there's not much class to his Schubert. I had high hopes for the Brahms Second, since I have the mono recording Van Beinum made of it at about the same time this live performance was taped. That studio version was very fine. This audience take, however, finds the conductor curiously uninvolved in the first two movements. There is some animation in the third movement but not much grace. Only in the last movement, where there is a rousing conclusion, do things come alive.

The second disc opens with Nicolai's Overture to The Merry Wives of Windsor. In the beginning there is a strident sounding horn. At times, Van Beinum seems to push the music rather than let it unfold naturally. I don't think he is too comfortable here...With the Don Juan, things start with a rather closed in sound, and stay that way. The voltage seems turned down, and the usually tender opening violin passage that ushers in the wonderfully romantic portion of Don is truncated. From there, to the work's end, there doesn't appear to be much life, although I suspect the dull recording itself bears significant responsibility for this...The Scheherazade is really fairly decent, but it is up against some tough competition. If you really want to be treated to the color, adventurousness and charming, exotic warmth this piece offers try Stokowski, Reiner, Kondrashin or Monteux...Finally, there is the Cockaigne Overture by Elgar. This is one of my favorites of the classical repertoire. Van Beinum slides through too quickly in some passages, but his performance is generally quite good although it misses the affection of Barbirolli and the swagger of Solti in their accounts.

In closing, although I feel letdown by most of these performances, my admiration for Van Beinum remains undiminished. I've heard too many very fine things from him. I think he deserved better treatment in terms of what was chosen to be represented on these discs. I am aware of an exceptional Mendelssohn "Italian" Symphony he made as well as some outstanding late Bruckner Symphonies, and what I consider to be just about the best Brahms First in stereo. Look in those and some other places for the best of Van Beinum's legacy.