The 9 Symphonies [Box set, Hybrid SACD]

When Kurt Masur and the Leipzig Gewandhaus recorded this complete set of Beethoven symphonies for Philips back in 1972 and 1974 the then-newish quadraphonic recording process was used for the LPs. But as far as I know they were never issued in that format, but only in plain-vanilla stereo. They were then reissued on CD again using plain stereo. I believe that this release is the first time they have been issued in four-channel (as opposed to SACD's possibly five-channel) format and I must say the sound is simply ravishing, both in SACD and regular CD formats. Just listen to the wind solos in the 'Eroica' or the singers in the Ninth (and it's a starry cast -- Anna Tomowa-Sintoff, soprano; Annelies Burmeister, mezzo-soprano; Peter Schreier, tenor; and Theo Adam, bass, all joined by the Radio Chorus Leipzig). I knew and loved the set in its original LP stereo format, and much preferred it to the Karajan set then all the rage. And I find that I remember many of the neat little phrasings, tempo adjustments and the like from those days long ago, and it's like a homecoming of sorts. But the sound is really superior to what was available back then, and that's clearly to the good. I am willing to bet that anyone hearing any CD from this set without knowing its age would be surprised to find it is more than thirty years old.

The Pentatone label (started by some former Philips honchos) is in the process of reissuing a number of old quadraphonic recordings from the 70s. I have been impressed with some of their earlier issues using what they call their RQR (Remastered Quadro Recordings) process. There is an interesting essay about this process in the booklet, as well as nicely written short essays about each of the symphonies in the set. The packaging is classy. It is a compact box containing 5 SACD discs in paper sleeves, plus the informational booklet, the whole thing taking up a little less space than the conventional 2CD jewel box.

The readings themselves are fairly straight ahead. Nothing fancy, nothing weird, nothing that calls attention to itself just for the sake of it, and yet the Ninth is powerful, the Sixth pleasantly relaxed (except for the 'storm'), the Third heroic as one would want. These may not be as exciting as some, but they are solid meat-and-potatoes readings that wear well; my recognition of their value after coming back to them all these years later is testament to that.

TT=5:45

Scott Morrison

I was rather skeptical when I bought it. I was vaguely recalling the LPs. But now I think it was a moment of grace when I made my mind to get this set. This a perfect match between a marvelous piece of sound engineering and a magical performance. The experience is overwhelming and I doubt any qualified listener can have enough of it. I listened again the other versions I have (Karajan '63, Furtwangler, Celibidache, Osawa, Scholz, Bohm, Reiner) and no one caught my ears anymore. My only frustration is that the booklet tells nothing about Masur and the orchestra. And there were so many things to tell...

I lived in Berlin in 1972, about the time these recordings were made. East Germany really was a depressing (and kinda scary) mess and obviously getting worse (or at least more confused.) It was a country that had noting to be proud of except doped athletes. In music, however, they could fall upon heritage that went beyond politics. They made good music in the German Democratic Republic (the DDR for fans of political trivia), and in my experience music was very well attended. (That might say something about Eastern German TV and radio. Music was also heavily supported by state and extremely inexpensive when compared to the West. About two bucks could get you into a nice opera. And, for what it's worth, Masur, unlike some German conductors a few years older, did the right thing when the political chips were down in 1989.)And let's note that the Gewandhaus was top boy. As might be expected, Masur's Beethoven is elegant in the German style of the day. SACD fans have a lot of choice when it comes to Beethoven and most of it pretty good. The Masur set, well priced as it is, matches the best of a very good bunch.

However, if you like Beethoven in SACD you must get one of the performance by the Minnesota under Vanska. The style reminded me for all the world as being something that used to come from the Great American Machine Orchestras of the 60's-70's: athletic and technically perfect. I remember being in London in the early 70's when the Chicago came to town. On the big time critics of the day knocked the band for playing with an annoying perfection. Under Vanska the Minnesota matches any of the "big sound" orchestra in amazing musicianship. But in one respect, it's a little hard to fully compare the Vanska performances with anyone else's. The Minnesota was recorded by the Swedish company BIS and they are absolutely at the top of their game. On a half way decent SACD multi-channel system, the sound is jaw-dropping. Vanska's 9th is, in my humble view, one of the great works of recorded music. The performance is top notch and sound spectacular. With a piece as glorious as the 9th, this combination rewards one with a deeply satisfying experience. Try, it, you'll like it. But get Masur too. I might too if I'm pretty sure I can sneak it past my wife. She has a good ear for music, but just doesn't understand why a person needs to own the equivalent of three sets of Bach cantatas, the complete works of Mozart (along with dozens of duplicates on the likely subjects) or four or five sets of major Beethoven and three of the piano sonatas. But SACD is no joke: good news all around.

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