Beethoven: The Nine Symphonies
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Music Reviews of Beethoven: The Nine Symphonies
Music Review: Good but not great...
Rating: 3 Stars
First off.. it's true that Zinman brings a refreshing speed to these familiar pieces and they work most of the time. It's rather strange to hear Symphony No. 5 at such breakneck speed initially.. but you really do get used to it and may even prefer it after awhile. My biggest constructive criticism for this set (hence the 3/5 stars) is the sound quality. It's plain flat and dimensionless. I own lots of classical recordings, especially ones from Telarc and even some older ones, and I wish this boxset came close to those recordings. It's a shame because the flatness and lack of presence and space of the Zinman recordings betray the otherwise good performances. 3/5 stars.Music Review: Brilliant.
Rating: 5 Stars
Ineffably singular. You think you've heard these symphonies before, but the combination of a smaller orchestra and period instrumentation with ur-text orchestrations makes these recordings a revelation. Not the least of the set's pleasures is Zinman's respecting of the real tempi called for in the scores - at times a tad faster than they're usually played - which strips the music of the ponderous heaviness that too often creeps in. One reviewer loved the whole set except for the Fifth, and I can understand why - the Fifth here sounds unlike you've ever heard it before. I'd say, having listened, that's a good thing. The best bargain in classical recordings this year.Music Review: A bargain box of Beethoven
Rating: 4 Stars
With tempi generally fast but excellent ensemble, this boxed set is musically (and financially!) highly desirable. Zinman's interpretations are comparable to Toscanini's in terms of their drive and forward impulse. The digital recordings are very good with nicely judged hall ambience. Outstanding are symphonies 3 (lovely free-flowing), 4, 5, 6 and 8; perhaps the 9th will not be to all tastes as it is somewhat lightweight and, in places, very fast! However, the small-scale chamber choir and decent soloists in the finale sing with a real and most appropriate joie de vivre! A great deal of pleasure for such a modest cash outlay.Music Review: Really not a bargain
Rating: 2 Stars
This is definitely not my favorite interpretation of the Beethoven symphonies. The orchestra is hurrying along without much depth. The worst thing for me is that the Beethoven spirit got lost. Compared to interpretations by Masur, Wand, Gardiner, Karajan etc. these warm and passionate works remain cold under Zinman's baton. As background music it's OK but if you are a serious listener who is looking for emotional depth these interpretations are not for you. There are other "bargain" editions of these works. For example, I recently purchased the Masur/Leipzig Gewandhaus edition for 32 Dollars. A far better choice.Music Review: The Seventh is also first rate.
Rating: 5 Stars
I have only listened to the Seventh and Eighth parts of this cycle (it was given out to subscribers of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra last year). It was absolutely first rate, particularly the Seventh's Allegretto. IMHO this Seventh can hold its own even by comparison with the "classic" recordings of the symphony by Kleiber with the VPO and Von Karajan with the BP. Zinman has a remarkable ability to coax such a sweet, pure, intimate sound from orchestras, which really comes through in the recordings I heard. I'm looking forward to listening to the rest of the cycle.