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5.0 out of 5 stars
Definitive recordings from Furtwangler, Jun 22 2004
Reviewing this release is truly a joy. Everything about these recordings is either perfect or near perfect (and for those of you not familiar with classical recordings, that is EXTREMELY rare). As others have noted here, the Berlin Philharmonic plays with heavenly beauty, a very particular kind of beauty (rich and weighty, but also smooth, silky, and suprisingly clear) not heard in any other orchestra, and not even heard when they were under anyone but Furtwangler. In case you have never heard his work before, this is just about the best place to start. His interpretations are carefully thought out, but also thrillingly spontaneous. As observed in the liner notes, it is a testimony to his art that, after listening to these, it is hard to imagine it any other way. His work in the studio is usually dwarfed by his live recordings, but not here. Furtwangler was, for most of his career, antagonistic towards making recordings, in no small part due to the cruel demands of the 78 rpm record (had to be recorded in 5 (!) minute sections), but with the advent of the LP , he admitted that it was finally possible to make recordings; his changing attitude towards the medium is wonderfully preserved here. To top it off, the sound is so vibrant and clearly defined, I cannot tell that it is mono instead of stereo (and I am a good amateur musician).
Regarding the Schubert, if you thought that he could only make beautiful, tender sounds, and was poorly coordinated, this is your chance to become a convert. This recording of his great C major symphony has rugged strength in abundance, and Furtwangler as always gives an illuminatingly clear view of the (impressive) structure of the piece.
The Haydn, if anything, is even better! Furtwangler gives a passionate but refreshingly unsentimental reading which, again, reveals enormous amounts of detail while at the same time fitting it into his overall conception. The Largo is unforgettable.
In short, whether or not you are familiar with Furtwangler's work, even if you thought you disliked Schubert or Haydn, this CD is an essential purchase.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Furtwangler and the art of interpretation, Feb 3 2003
By A Customer
to quote another reviewer from California, "the schubert is absolutely awe-inspiring. Furtwangler is the man." this quote is absolutely right. In fact, I'm listening to this recording now, or at least a contemporaneous one, seeing that the recording i have is also DG and recorded in 1951, as another reviewer says. I admit I haven't heard the haydn symphony featured on this release, but I'd say if you bought this for the schubert only, you wouldn't regret it.
Furtwangler immediately proves to us that we're in for one of the most exciting orchestral recordings of anything. the introduction is fairly straightforward (for furtwangler, at least) but places an irresistable accelerando into the exposition proper, the themes of which have their own tempos and characters unlike any of the others. After listening to the entire movement, one realizes that these tempos and inflections aren't randomly placed, they relate to each other. for instance, the secondary theme is played in the same tempo throughout exposition, development, and recap, while the first subject is played briskly at first, but at the recap a little more leisurely. Honestly, however, I don't think a lesser conductor than furtwangler could make these idiosyncrasies seem justified. By the way, this is just the first movement.
the second movement is marvellous as well in its rhythmic coloring and detail. Time seems to stop in this movement. the third movement has plenty of drive and the trio is properly warm and delightful. Speaking of drive, the last movement is an edge of the seat thriller that will leave any audience bursting into thunderous ovations.
Bravo furtwangler, on what may be his single best (certainly one of his most famous) recording!
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5.0 out of 5 stars
A very unique glimpse., Feb 18 2002
In his book "A Life In Music," Daniel Barenboim refers to this recording as a wonderful example of the Berlin Philharmonic's sheer beauty, particularly the strings, during the days of Furtwangler. It is a unique glimpse because most of Furtwangler's post-War recordings were made with other orchestras, such as the Philharmonia Orchestra in London, the two "Rings" in Italy, and, of course, the Vienna Philharmonic. There are quite a few live recordings of Furtwangler with the Berlin Philharmonic, but they may not capture that distinct quality of his silken strings that we can hear so vividly on this release. Apart from being engaging, infinitely interesting interpretations of these two works-- certainly less reliable than many, but satisfying nonetheless-- what we really have is a great opportunity to hear Furtwangler's orchestra before Karajan came in and totally changed their sound. No doubt Karajan had his own great style, but what he replaced was a lightness in the strings, and a mellowness in the brass, that breathes authenticity and unassuming grandeur. In other words, this is quite simply one of the greatest discs of maybe the greatest conductor. For a more reliable Schubert Ninth, try Sawallisch in Dresden.
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