Customer Reviews

Symphonies No.s 5 & 7

5 star:		(81)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I was encouraged to buy this performance of the 5th by the overwhelming recommendation of reviewers at Amazon.com. And, they were right. This is a tremendous performance that far exceeds others that I own by Solti or Bohm (although I prefer Bohm on the 7th). Kleiber imparts majesty without bombast or pomposity. He actually renewed my interest in the 5th, which is so recognizable that it almost becomes cliche. He and the Vienna Philharmonic just nail this symphony, placing emphasis where it enlivens the whole performance.

DG did a great job recording and remastering these two performances. Although vintage 1975 and 76, these analog recordings are truly excellent in quality, comparable to digital. What a great compliment to such a stellar performance.

Not to detract from this CD, which I believe to be the best traditional performance of Beethoven's 5th, but let me also suggest the new interpretations of Beethoven's symphonies performed by David Zinman on Arte Nova. The performances are so different that they encourage one to appreciate each, but not to the exclusion of the other. Regardless, do not fail to obtain this performance.

After years of performing and listening to these works there is very little that can be said negatively of the perfection of this particular set of sessions done in the mid 1970s. Kleiber really unleashes the most incredible sound from the VPO since the days of Solti. We also are treated to the warmest tone and the most incredible Brass and Woodwind work ever to be put to disc.

I also find one thing in the 7th intro quite amazing. Simply the tempo being slow is so right and played with such precision as to be breathetaking...the transition to the fast 6/8 is arguably the finest interpretation of this music without ever sounding forced.

The Beethoven 5th has the most incredibly tight opening ever as well. Surely one wonders why Kleiber is not more popular!!!

I honestly wouldn't care if Kleiber's version of the 7th were terrible (which it isn't) because his 5th is nothing short of astounding. This is THE 5th to own - hands down.

Kleiber has the Vienna Philharmonic playing this music as if they were playing it for the first time. The energy found in the first movement is nothing short of astounding. The players are on fire. The second movement is as beautiful as the first is frenetic. The balance created by the Vienna Philharmonic is beautiful and offers a poignant statement rarely heard in the many "routine" run throughs of the symphony. The scherzo is filled with the same gusto found in the opening allegro and leads into the amazing finale. In short, this 5th is beyond anything you have ever heard before - not only because the playing is perfect, but because Kleiber's interpretation breathes life into one of the most familiar pieces of music of all time. He brings out nuances in the score, highlights unique moments, and offers incredible incite into one of Beethoven's most moving musical achievements.

Although there are some complaints about the seventh, its still a fantastic run-through and Kleiber has a lot to say here as well. Even if you disagree with his interpretation, Kleiber still has created a fascinating recording. Highly recommended.

The Symphony no. 5 is the best performance that I have ever heard. There have been so many performances since the first recording of Nikish like Weingartner, Toscanini and Furtwangler. But, for the C-minor symphony, I think this is the best for the new milenium, also. But I regret to note that no.7 (which is usually combined in one CD with no.5), the 'Balance of Speed' is not so good as expected. The third movement (Presto) might be exaggerated like others.(please listen to Toscanini, Furtwanger, Bohm and others) In that case this CD shall be 6 STAR RATED.

I have enjoyed the 5th symphony on this cd many times and feel that the 7th - although a little more lackluster - continues the Kleiber approach right to the end. I defintely prefer the Kleiber interpretation to Karajan's and until I hear something better this one will do.

I agree that the 5th is thrilling, it sounds fresher and more intensely thought out than any other I think I've heard. It ranges from tiptoe whispery to boathorn loud, as it should. In particular, the dynamic range change as it goes from the 2nd movement to the 3rd is not to be believed.

As far as the 7th ... To me, the Allegretto movement is what that's all about and Ashkenazy's version with the Philharmonia from the early 80's is the best. It's slow and very smooth, soft, and precise and the repeats don't get boring.

I bought this because it was supposed to be an essential recording but it didn't make an impression. My favorite still remains Fritz Reiner's with the Chicago Symphony. I have a version with Karajan (not very good), another with Klemperer (good). I had a version with Kleiberth's father (I think) on LP that I preffered. I will also try the version with Leibowitz conducting (I own the 9th and it is amazing). I will have to listen to them first in the future

These are without doubt compelling performances. However, Beethoven's symphonies can support a wide variety of interpretation, none of which could be called "definitive." There are simply too many variables involved. Carlos Kleiber is of the "fast and literal" interpretive school pioneered by Toscanini and Erich Kleiber (Carlos' father - one of the last century's greatest conductors). Golden Melodram has issued a CD box set of Carlos Kleiber live performances that includes a Beethoven 5th with the Chicago Symphony from 1978 that is, if anything, even more exciting than this one with the VPO. That box set also includes a live 7th with the Cologne Radio Symphony - less well-played than the VPO version but possessed of a bit more heart and spontaneity. Another item worth hearing: a truly stunning rendering of the Borodin 2nd Symphony.

The real draw here is, I think, the 5th. It is rather similar to his father's 1955 Decca recording with the Concertgebouw, which I marginally prefer. But if I could take only one 5th with me to that proverbial desert island with the solar-powered walkman, it would be Furtwangler's volcanic live performance from 1943 with the Berlin Philharmonic.

In the case of the 7th, there is a wide field to choose from. Of the 20+ performances that still sit on my shelves, there are a handful that strike me as really special. The 78 rpm era was dominated by two extraordinarily well-played accounts - the 1927 Stokowski/Philadelphia (straightforward and superb)and the 1936 Toscanini/New York Philharmonic which, like Carlos Kleiber/VPO, offers a rather brusque and driven Beethoven. My favorite 1930's recording was a little-known entry by Rudolph Schulz-Dornburg (1891-1949) and the Berlin Radio - in many respects the most lyrical and nuanced performance I have ever heard (it was once on an obscure CD label coupled with a dreary 8th conducted by Bruno Walter). Other "ancient" performances best avoided by audio buffs - but excellent nonetheless - would include a snappy reading by Fritz Busch with a scrappy Vienna pick-up orchestra, two by Furtwangler (a galvanic live wartime recording and his lovely studio effort from 1950 with the VPO), and an outstandingly great Erich Kleiber/VPO reading that dwarfs his son's recording - I have it on LP (it was available on a deleted CD from Polygram with the same conductor's Mozart 40th). The last mentioned performance took the last measure of the 2nd movement with the strings playing pizzicato instead of arco - a textual variant duplicated in Klemperer's 1950's version with the Philharmonia).

If pushed to the wall, I would offer the Konwitschny/Leipzig Gewandhaus as my favorite stereo version - what a magnificently fiery 1st movement! It's the finest performance I have ever heard from this rather under-rated conductor.

By current standards these Carlos Kleiber Beethoven recordings are outstanding - head and shoulders above what is to be heard from a Solti, a Karajan, or an Abbado. But surely such great music deserves to be heard in more than just a single version.

I originally purchased the two symphonies on this disc when they were sold seperately. After buying the seperates (at a much higher price each than what this is selling for) DG decided to combine the two. I love them so much that I bought this edition as well. For the price, there's little reason not to buy this disc.

With all the glowing reviews of this CD I believe it would be kind of silly to try to say any more good things about it. So let me just offer this caveat: Yes, this is a rousing, bold, forceful, intense performance of Beethoven. This disc never fails to impress, and the dynamics of the performance serve as a wonderful demonstration of the fidelity of your stereo. It's a hard-hitting, attention grabbing performance. That's the good news and the bad news.

The bad news being that these performances are not exactly subtle. So, if you're seeking subtlety you may be a little overwhelmed. Of all of Beethoven's works, it is the symphonies that have the most clear quality of spectacle and theatre. Piano sonatas and string quartets lend themselves to a more limited and refined audience. Kleiber really plays up the drama, the spectacle, and the theatre in these performances. This may lead some listeners to feel it's all a bit overdone. I recently played this disc in the office and a college-aged employee who likes heavy metal said, "Wow, that kicks ass!" Some would see that as a ringing endorsement, some as a warning.

That being so stated there are few reasons not to own this disk. It's a landmark performance at a bargain price.

Can somebody else do Beethoven as Kleiber does with the Vienna Philharmonic? It is just amazing what they do!