Jawad’s Classical Archives – Set 01, CD 001

Kleiber conducts Beethoven’s Symphonies Nos. 5 and 7

My Opinion

This is truly a desert island recording, worthy of inclusion in any respectable top-ten list. If you are a serious connoisseur and classical music lover, your collection would not be complete without it. The recording is actually of such legendary status that I did not think much to decide to start my blog with it, and believe me when I say that my archive has plenty of masterpieces.

Rarely the union between a conductor and an orchestra has been more symbiotic than in these recordings from the 1970s. The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra is indeed among Europe’s best ensembles and has played the two works with many other distinguished conductors. Yet there is a sense of special opportunity in these two interpretations with Maestro Kleiber, and one has the intimate conviction that virtually all instruments and soloists involved deliver the performance of their lives. And what could be said about Carlos Kleiber’s conducting that has not been said before? incisive and dramatic at moments, charming and delicate at others, it may aptly be qualified as Promethean in his recreation of these two cornerstone works of Western classical music. But the ability of recreation is the essence of being a great conductor, isn’t it?

Other glorious recordings of both symphonies exist of course, and one may naturally think of Wilhelm Furtwängler’s and Otto Klemperer’s sets (both available in EMI’s “Great Recordings of the Century” series) or Herbert von Karajan’s 1960s Beethoven cycle for Deutsche Grammophon. Yet none of these interpretations is a match of Kleiber’s for intensity and dramatic impact. Having said that, please do not take my word for granted and do your homework. If you manage to find a better coupling of Beethoven’s 5th and 7th symphonies somewhere else, please let me know and I will eat my hat!

Reviews

“In a performance of notable urgency, Kleiber gets the Vienna Philharmonic yet again to play the Fifth as if it were a first encounter. The reading is violent, sinuous, shadowy and impassioned, the effect compelling without being overwrought. Kleiber presides over a gripping first movement that goes like a shot, and is to be commended for observing such musicological niceties as the exposition repeats of both the first movement and the finale. The mid-’70s analog recording has received state-of-the art remastering, yielding sound that is vivid and detailed. With a barn-burning account of the Seventh as the coupling, this is a disc to die for.” – Ted Libbey.

“As recommendable an album as anyone could wish, Carlos Kleiber’s performances with the Vienna Philharmonic of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67, and the Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92, are classics that should always be within reach, and this disc should be passed along to friends as the single best pairing of these two pieces. Other performances of these symphonies are absolutely essential to know, and recordings by many great conductors and orchestras certainly compete with this Deutsche Grammophon album for listeners’ affections. But for sheer excitement, cogent direction, and expressive playing, none is more convincing. Kleiber was highly esteemed for his thorough musicianship, and his clarity of interpretation and communication skills with musicians resulted in performances that were compelling in their power and fascinating for their faithfulness to details in the score. If the hallmarks of great performances are the way they grab onto the listener through their energy and sustain interest for their finer points, no matter how familiar the pieces are, then these riveting and utterly lucid readings of Beethoven’s Fifth and Seventh are great indeed. Even purists who insist on period style in their Beethoven must concede honors to Kleiber for his accuracy and attention to repeats, for following the indicated instrumentation, and for careful application of all the dynamics. In depth of musicality, technical polish, and all matters of instrumentation except for the size of the orchestra, these recordings surpass many historically informed performances and make some of them seem pedantic and empty in comparison. Add to these accumulated merits DG’s scrupulous engineering and masterful, incredible ADD sound, and this unassailable disc wins in any match-up.” – Blair Sanderson.