Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 7

Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 7

Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 7
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CD Details

Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
Conductor: Leonard Bernstein
Orchestra: New York Philharmonic
Edition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 1999-09-14
Music Label: Sony
Soundtracks:
  1. Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 36: 1. Adagio molto; Allegro con brio
  2. Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 36: 2. Larghetto
  3. Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 36: 3. Scherzo: Allegro
  4. Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 36: 4. Allegro molto
  5. Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92: 1. Poco Sostenuto - Vivace
  6. Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92: 2. Allegretto
  7. Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92: 3. Presto - Presto meno assai
  8. Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92: 4. Allegro con brio

Music reviews of Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 7

Music Review: Excellent... But Not Great
Rating: 4 Stars

I would love to give this performance the accolades that others have afforded it. It is truly a fine performance and certainly enjoyable to experience. But, like so many conductors, Bernstein misses the mark.

To begin, this is an excellent recording. The engineers did the Philharmonic proud. The orchestra is spread out in a semi-circle close in front of the listener. This is how the music must have sounded to the conductor. The disc is happily free of distortion and the balance is superb. One of the best sounding recordings of Beethoven I have heard. The New York Philharmonic plays so very well, it proves it is a world class ensemble - or surely was 40 years ago.

As much as I want to like this performance, I must take issue with Bernstein's interpretation. This is a "standard" performance, of the ilk we have heard for many years, played beautifully but with little to excite the emotions. In this symphony, Beethoven is making music that reaches for one's soul. If the performance does not leave a tear in your eye and a lump in your throat, the conductor has missed the point.

I love this symphony. It speaks to my heart and my heart leaps up in response. But it speaks loudest and best when the performance sings and dances with abandon. I can't help but believe that Beethoven intended the music to be unrestrained, perhaps orgiastic. The last movement is best played when it is frenzied and wildly exuberant. Think in terms of Dionysian revel because I think that is exactly what Beethoven was striving to express. This performance is much too "classical," much too polite.

The horns must be heard. Here they are often muted. The rhythm must catch the listener up and not let go. The audience must feel exhausted, perhaps, and a sense of release when the last strains die away.

There is a recorded performance by Barry Wordsworth and the Royal Philharmonic that approaches this kind of experience. If you love the 7th, you should get this recording and listen to the symphony as I think Beethoven intended for it to be performed. This is no namby-pamby work. It is not "symphonic," it is gritty and raw. It should be, as one reviewer disparages, in your face. That is the enjoyment of it and it is Beethoven speaking directly to your heart.
More Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 7 free music reviews:
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Description of Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 7

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