Quite a while ago, you introduced me to Monteux's Beethoven 6 and it was a revelation. I love that recording. So... if the Blomstedt/Dresden version is in the same league... wow! I'm going to listen to it right now! Thanks!
It was a touch choice--I was strongly thinking of using Monteux but I'd already recommended it so I wanted to go for something more unexpected but equally worthy.
I listened to this whole cycle a lot recently it's ALL wonderful capped by a gorgeous THE NINTH! Your recommendations for Beethoven fit my taste perfectly. Also thanks for Barenboim , Wand and Vanska.and some of Honeck And Lamoureux 1, 5 and 8. Oh la la! my poor old Karajan 63 is languishing unloved on the shelf .Poor Herbie. Oh well!
Having recently purchased this set, I agree. This set has the best 9th I've heard for my musical tastes. The other set I have is Josef Krips and the London Symphony Orchestra.
I paused you, dear Dave half way through, so intrigued by your selection. I then listened to the whole thing on RUclips, and yes this is great in my very humble opinion. Definitely old school about tempi, but all the better for that. Nothing is scrambled, but it is powerful like Klemperer, though O K does the repeat in the first movement, which given the wonderful expansiveness of the second movement keeps the architectural balance of the whole piece and joy in the Sheppards' Thanksgiving Finale is glorious to cap it in Blomstedt's hands as well! I never knew Blomstedt made a Beethoven Cycle. You are as much an educator as a music critic, if I may be so bold as to make the compliment. Thanks and best wishes from George in UK
I picked this up after your video of the best Pastoral Symphony performances and it has joined my favorites with Walter. I bought the individual volume CD on Berlin Classics, the recording quality is also amazing.
@@bchristian85 The greatest debut for symphonic music in the history of the world: alas it was in winter, the theatre was freezing cold and the audience was not the best...
@DavesClassicalGuide I think that's a shame. More generally, I get the feeling that the respective sounds of different orchestras has sort of homogenized over time. Is that so? Is there less diversity of color (among the different orchestras) today than in the not-so-distant past? If so, I'd like to know what you think are the causes [perhaps in one of your "music chat" videos? ;) ]
When I was a broke young teen and just starting to develop my passion for music my only access to classical music in the days before I had the internet were budget sets like those from Brilliant Classics. Lucky for me back then the Beethoven BC box set had the Blomstedt symphony cycle! I loved it instantly, but I had assumed back then (stupidly) that it must not be one of the better cycles because it was so cheap. So years/decades later I kept collecting/hearing Beethoven cycles and yet I never found one I definitively enjoyed more than the Blomstedt. Maybe it was rose-colored glasses, I thought... but it's been refreshing all these years later to hear that, no, that cycle was indeed special. I may give a listen to the 6th today to see how well it holds up for me.
I will give this a go, thank you. For some reason this symphony has gone from being a favourite to one I can’t listen to. It’s funny how some pieces take a while to catch, and then you wonder why you never liked it, and others seem to go the other way…
Blomstedt/Dresden is probably my favorite Pastoral after Walter/ColumbiaSO. His Dresden Beethoven cycle is one of the greats, on par with Szell and Wand.
Heard this a few years back and liked it. Just gave it a listen and what a rhythmically vital and beautifully delineated performance it is. The Karajan style might give us a lovely uniform view of the treeline in the valley but Blomstedt lets us see the rickety huts and the outhouses and the cows in the valley too.
Regarding Beethoven 6, I was imprinted - as a student - by a cheap Teldec reissue of Keilberth's Bamberger Beethoven 6 (rec. 1960 in glorious early stereo), a recording which does not seem to have garnered a lot of critical attention, though it still sounds absolutely lovely today. Decidedly 'old skool', but with transparent lines, ideal tempi, shimmering strings, melting woodwinds, etc. I wonder how you would rate it Dave, e.g. vis-à-vis the Kletzki Beethoven 6!
It might just be me but I find most recordings of the Pastoral play the enchanting opening too fast. Not being a musician I am not sure if that is the way Beethoven wrote it but for me the slower the better. I just want it to go on forever a bit like the opening to Beethoven's fourth piano concerto. The only version I found that is a bit slower is Daniel Barenboim and the Berlin Staatskapelle recording done is 2000 I think. Is it just me??
I bought this cycle almost two decades ago on your recommendation. You managed to surprise me though; I thought you might use Blomstedt for the 7th. I really love the woodwind playing in this performance, but the whole ensemble stands out for all the reasons you describe. This--and the Berglund Ma Vlast--were my first experiences with this orchestra, and I still cherish both some two decades later.
YES!!!!!!!! Thanks again for a lovely review. I am pleased you think the cycle is growing in stature through time. Around the same time as Herbert Blomstedt recorded the Beethoven, Kurt Sanderling recorded a Brahms cycle with the Staatskapelle. I have always been surprised this has not been recognised and re- released. Interested in your thoughts on the Brahms. Best wishes for New Year.
Quite a while ago, you introduced me to Monteux's Beethoven 6 and it was a revelation. I love that recording. So... if the Blomstedt/Dresden version is in the same league... wow! I'm going to listen to it right now! Thanks!
It was a touch choice--I was strongly thinking of using Monteux but I'd already recommended it so I wanted to go for something more unexpected but equally worthy.
I listened to this whole cycle a lot recently it's ALL wonderful capped by a gorgeous THE NINTH! Your recommendations for Beethoven fit my taste perfectly. Also thanks for Barenboim , Wand and Vanska.and some of Honeck And Lamoureux 1, 5 and 8. Oh la la! my poor old Karajan 63 is languishing unloved on the shelf .Poor Herbie. Oh well!
Having recently purchased this set, I agree. This set has the best 9th I've heard for my musical tastes. The other set I have is Josef Krips and the London Symphony Orchestra.
Just got his Beethoven cycle. Quite a beautiful collection of music.
I paused you, dear Dave half way through, so intrigued by your selection. I then listened to the whole thing on RUclips, and yes this is great in my very humble opinion.
Definitely old school about tempi, but all the better for that. Nothing is scrambled, but it is powerful like Klemperer, though O K does the repeat in the first movement, which given the wonderful expansiveness of the second movement keeps the architectural balance of the whole piece and joy in the Sheppards' Thanksgiving Finale is glorious to cap it in Blomstedt's hands as well!
I never knew Blomstedt made a Beethoven Cycle.
You are as much an educator as a music critic, if I may be so bold as to make the compliment.
Thanks and best wishes from George in UK
I picked this up after your video of the best Pastoral Symphony performances and it has joined my favorites with Walter. I bought the individual volume CD on Berlin Classics, the recording quality is also amazing.
It always amazes me that the Pastoral was premiered on the same program with his 5th.
The program got the numbers mixed up as well. It listed the 6th as the 5th and vice versa.
@@bchristian85 The greatest debut for symphonic music in the history of the world: alas it was in winter, the theatre was freezing cold and the audience was not the best...
Nowadays I go to a concert and I’m home by nine thirty…and that’s with a walk and a train ride!
I love this kind of sound you describe. Would you say it has become rarer in today's orchestras?
Probably.
@DavesClassicalGuide I think that's a shame. More generally, I get the feeling that the respective sounds of different orchestras has sort of homogenized over time. Is that so? Is there less diversity of color (among the different orchestras) today than in the not-so-distant past? If so, I'd like to know what you think are the causes [perhaps in one of your "music chat" videos? ;) ]
When I was a broke young teen and just starting to develop my passion for music my only access to classical music in the days before I had the internet were budget sets like those from Brilliant Classics. Lucky for me back then the Beethoven BC box set had the Blomstedt symphony cycle! I loved it instantly, but I had assumed back then (stupidly) that it must not be one of the better cycles because it was so cheap. So years/decades later I kept collecting/hearing Beethoven cycles and yet I never found one I definitively enjoyed more than the Blomstedt. Maybe it was rose-colored glasses, I thought... but it's been refreshing all these years later to hear that, no, that cycle was indeed special. I may give a listen to the 6th today to see how well it holds up for me.
It's wonderful for sure. My personal punt is Lamoureux under Markevitch.
A Blomstedt/Dresden box sounds yummy 😋
SIGN ME UP!!! I'll take 3 to start😊
I will give this a go, thank you. For some reason this symphony has gone from being a favourite to one I can’t listen to. It’s funny how some pieces take a while to catch, and then you wonder why you never liked it, and others seem to go the other way…
Very true.
Blomstedt/Dresden is probably my favorite Pastoral after Walter/ColumbiaSO. His Dresden Beethoven cycle is one of the greats, on par with Szell and Wand.
Heard this a few years back and liked it. Just gave it a listen and what a rhythmically vital and beautifully delineated performance it is. The Karajan style might give us a lovely uniform view of the treeline in the valley but Blomstedt lets us see the rickety huts and the outhouses and the cows in the valley too.
The Blomstedt Beethoven cycle with the Staatskapelle Dresden is available from Berlin Classics in a remastered version...........
I’m going to buy the kletzki and blomstedt cycles!!
Regarding Beethoven 6, I was imprinted - as a student - by a cheap Teldec reissue of Keilberth's Bamberger Beethoven 6 (rec. 1960 in glorious early stereo), a recording which does not seem to have garnered a lot of critical attention, though it still sounds absolutely lovely today. Decidedly 'old skool', but with transparent lines, ideal tempi, shimmering strings, melting woodwinds, etc. I wonder how you would rate it Dave, e.g. vis-à-vis the Kletzki Beethoven 6!
I rate it for itself. It's lovely, I agree.
It might just be me but I find most recordings of the Pastoral play the enchanting opening too fast. Not being a musician I am not sure if that is the way Beethoven wrote it but for me the slower the better. I just want it to go on forever a bit like the opening to Beethoven's fourth piano concerto. The only version I found that is a bit slower is Daniel Barenboim and the Berlin Staatskapelle recording done is 2000 I think. Is it just me??
Yes, of course it's you, but that's fine.
Do I really need another Beethoven symphony cycle? Sounds like I do!
I bought this cycle almost two decades ago on your recommendation. You managed to surprise me though; I thought you might use Blomstedt for the 7th.
I really love the woodwind playing in this performance, but the whole ensemble stands out for all the reasons you describe. This--and the Berglund Ma Vlast--were my first experiences with this orchestra, and I still cherish both some two decades later.
IMHO Blomstedt's Dresden Beethoven cycle is the best since Szell's or Kletzki's.
Which is saying a lot.
YES!!!!!!!! Thanks again for a lovely review. I am pleased you think the cycle is growing in stature through time.
Around the same time as Herbert Blomstedt recorded the Beethoven, Kurt Sanderling recorded a Brahms cycle with the Staatskapelle. I have always been surprised this has not been recognised and re- released. Interested in your thoughts on the Brahms. Best wishes for New Year.
Just listened to the Barenboim/Staatskapelle Berlin box, and I'll put this one on too for comparison.
I listened some 6 recordings of the sixth. The recording of Szell with the Cleveland orchestra came out best....
Its available on apple music on eterna, remastered in 2020.
Lossless audio. Listening to it right now.
Its "the bestesssss".
Btw it is a Berlin Classics.