BaL 19.09.15 - Beethoven: Symphony no. 4 in B flat

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

0930 Building a Library
Rob Cowan compares available versions of Beethoven's 4th Symphony in Bb major and makes a personal recommendation. Written in 1806, this sunny and genial work is often overshadowed by the symphonies Beethoven wrote directly before and after it. But in fact Beethoven's 4th contains many forward-looking elements, especially the powerfully mysterious slow introduction which explodes with pent-up energy when it is unleashed into the impulsive, life-enhancing first movement.

Available versions:

Berliner Philharmoniker, Claudio Abbado (CD & DVD/Blu-ray)
VPO, Claudio Abbado (download)
L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Ernest Ansermet
Philharmonia Orchestra, Ernest Ansermet (1958)
New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir John Barbirolli
Staatskapelle Berlin, Daniel Barenboim
West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, Daniel Barenboim (CD/DVD)
Moscow Chamber Orchestra, Rudolf Barshai
The Academy Of St Martin In The Fields, Joshua Bell
New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Leonard Bernstein
VPO, Leonard Bernstein (CD/DVD)
Staatskapelle Dresden, Herbert Blomstedt
RIAS-Symphonie-Orchester, Karl Böhm
VPO, Karl Böhm (studio & live)
Manchester Camerata, Douglas Boyd
Orchestra of the 18th Century, Frans Brüggen
London Symphony Orchestra, Yondani Butt
Pablo Casals Orchestra of Barcelona, Pablo Casals (1929)
Collegium Musicum of London, Casals (1959)
Münchner Philharmoniker, Sergiu Celibidache
Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Sergiu Celibidache
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Riccardo Chailly
Berliner Philharmoniker, André Cluytens
Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Thomas Dausgaard
Staatskapelle Dresden, Sir Colin Davis (download)
Cleveland Orchestra, Christoph von Dohnanyi
Nicolaus Esterhazy Sinfonia, Bela Drahos
Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, Richard Edlinger (download)
Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow Radio, Vladimir Fedoseyev (DVD)
Hungarian State Orchestra, Janos Ferencsik (download)
Heidelberg Symphony Orchestra, Thomas Fey (download)
Budapest Festival Orchestra, Ivan Fischer
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Iván Fischer (DVD/Blu-ray)
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Wilhelm Furtwängler
VPO, Wilhelm Furtwangler
Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique, Sir John Eliot Gardiner
SWR-Sinfonieorchester, Michael Gielen (CD/DVD)
La Scala PO, Carlo Maria Giulini (download)
Hanover Band, Roy Goodman
Deutsche Kammerakademie Neuss Orchestra, Johannes Goritzki
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Bernard Haitink
London Symphony Orchestra, Bernard Haitink (2006)
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bernard Haitink
Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Royal Flemish Philharmonic, Philippe Herreweghe
Northern Sinfonia of England, Richard Hickox (download)
The Academy of Ancient Music, Christopher Hogwood
Anima Eterna Orchestra, Jos van Immerseel
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Mariss Jansons (CD/DVD/Blu-ray)
Die Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Paavo Järvi (CD/DVD)
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Eugen Jochum (download)
Concertgebouw Orchestra, Eugen Jochum (download)
LSO, Eugen Jochum
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Vladimir Jurowski (DVD/Blu-ray)
Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan (3 studio recordings - 1962, 1977 & 1984); live 27.04.1985; & DVD; & Blu-ray audio of 1962 cycle)
Philharmonia Orchestra, Herbert von Karajan
Orchestra Alessandro Scarlatti di Napoli, Orchestra Sinfonica di Torino, Rudolf Kempe (1959)
Bavarian State Orchestra, Carlos Kleiber
Concertgebouw Orchestra, Carlos Kleiber (DVD)
Berliner Philharmoniker, Otto Klemperer
Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra, Otto Klemperer (1954)
Concertgebouw Orchestra, Otto Klemperer (download)
Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Klemperer (live and studio)
VPO, Otto Klemperer
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Paul Kletzki
Moscow Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, Kirill Kondrashin
Dresden Staatskapelle, Franz Konwitschny
Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig, Franz Konwitschny
Concertgebouw Orchestra, Amsterdam, Josef Krips
La Chambre Philharmonique, Emmanuel Krivine
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Rafael Kubelik
Symphonie-Orchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Rafael Kubelik (1979)
Haydn Orchestra Of Bolzano And Trento, Gustav Kuhn
De Nieuwe Philharmonie Utrecht, Johannes Leertouwer
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Rene Leibowitz
Boston Symphony Orchestra, Erich Leinsdorf
Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Nicholas McGegan
Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto, Peter Maag
Cleveland Orchestra, Lorin Maazel
Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Sir Charles Mackerras
Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig, Kurt Masur
Concertgebouw Orchestra, Amsterdam, Willem Mengelberg
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Pierre Monteux (live 1964)
San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, Pierre Monteux
LSO, Pierre Monteux
London Symphony Orchestra, Wyn Morris
Boston Symphony Orchestra, Charles Munch (DVD)
French National Orchestra, Charles Munch (download)
Philadelphia Orchestra, Riccardo Muti
Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Kent Nagano
Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, John Nelson (download)
London Classical Players, Sir Roger Norrington
RSO Stuttgart, Sir Roger Norrington
Berlin State Opera Orchestra, Hans Pfitzner
Russian National Orchestra, Mikhail Pletnev
VPO, Sir Simon Rattle
National Symphony Orchestra, Sir Malcolm Sargent
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Wolfgang Sawallisch
Vienna State Opera Orchestra, Hermann Scherchen
The German Chamber Philharmonie of Bremen, Heinrich Schiff (download)
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt (download)
Copenhagen Phil, Lan Shui
Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, Carl Schuricht
Saarbrucken Radio Symphony Orchestra, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Ignat Solzhenitsyn (download)
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Sir Georg Solti
Cleveland Orchestra, George Szell
VPO, Christian Thielemann (CD/DVD/Blu-ray)
Symphony Nova Scotia, Georg Tintner (download)
BBC Symphony Orchestra, Arturo Toscanini
NBC Symphony Orchestra, Arturo Toscanini
Orchestre de la Francophonie, Jean-Phillipe Tremblay
L'Orchestre Symphonique de la RTBF, André Vandernoot
Minnesota Orchestra, Osmo Vänskä
Budapest Symphony Orchestra, Tamás Vásáry (download)
Netherlands Symphony Orchestra, Jan Willem de Vriend
Columbia SO, Bruno Walter
New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Bruno Walter
NDR SO, Gunter Wand
Gürzenich-Orchester Köln, Günter Wand
LPO, Felix Weingartner (1936)
RPO, Barry Wordsworth
Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra, David Zinman


PIANO SOLO arr Liszt:-

Idil Biret
Yury Martynov
Konstantin Scherbakov


PIANO DUO arr William Watts:-
Pianoduo Wynecke Jordans & Leo van Doeslaar (lagrassa fortepiano)

[umslopogaas]

I have nine versions of this symphony on LP - Jochum (two), Walter, Ansermet, Dorati, Schmidt-Isserstsedt, Solti, Karajan, Klemperer - and one - Furtwangler - on CD and am not in the market for any more. I wish BAL would concentrate on less mainstream stuff, surely anyone who is interested in classical music will have multiple recordings of Beethoven's symphonies?

[Roehre]

I have nine versions of this symphony on LP - Jochum (two), Walter, Ansermet, Dorati, Schmidt-Isserstsedt, Solti, Karajan, Klemperer - and one - Furtwangler - on CD and am not in the market for any more. I wish BAL would concentrate on less mainstream stuff, surely anyone who is interested in classical music will have multiple recordings of Beethoven's symphonies?

My two are multiple, undeniably so

[verismissimo]

My two are multiple, undeniably so

So which do you prefer, Roehre? And why the excess baggage?

[Roehre]

So which do you prefer, Roehre? And why the excess baggage?

I prefer Krivine and Brüggen for the HIP and Böhm/VPO for the "big band" approach.
Only the two latter are on my shelves, Böhm as a 1977 LP.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I wish BAL would concentrate on less mainstream stuff, surely anyone who is interested in classical music will have multiple recordings of Beethoven's symphonies?

Well, there will be some who are almost literally "building (up) a library" for whom Beethoven #4 isn't yet "mainstream".

For the rest of us, it'll just be the usual fun disagreeing with the reviewer's idiotic choices - so win-win!

For me - top choice Krivine (joy, impudence and life-energy in abundance).
"Historic"/"old-style" = Klemperer/PO (one of his very best recordings - and, in the Finale, the first recording of a Beethoven symphony that had me laughing out loud at Beethoven's humour - back in 1977.)


But, it's Rob Cowan, so Krivine won't feature - nir will Karajan, probably, except as a sideline to use up the Cowan library of clichés - "smooth, suave, lacking rhythmic vigour" etc etc

[jayne lee wilson]

"Fond as I am of Bruggen, Harnoncourt, JEG, Mackerras, Zinman, Paavo Jarvi, Vanska, I'm inclined to place this new cycle fairly near the top of the pile, principally because it has such strong character. If you know someone yet to discover this greatest of all symphonic cycles, you could hardly do better than give them this as a gift. It could set them up for life."

ROB COWAN, REVIEWING EMMANUEL KRIVINE'S COMPLETE BEETHOVEN CYCLE, GRAMOPHONE 7/2011.

[Jonathan]

I'd also point out that the Liszt transcription has also been recorded by Leslie Howard and Cyprien Katsaris (and maybe Jean Bernard Pommier as well, need to check!)

[richardfinegold]

I'm surprised that no one has evoked the "slim Norse Maiden flanked by two brawny behemoths" analogy that is routinely trotted out for this work and the 4th PC.
I've never heard a recording of 4 that I didn't like. Szell/Cleveland is my favorite

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

"Fond as I am of Bruggen, Harnoncourt, JEG, Mackerras, Zinman, Paavo Jarvi, Vanska, I'm inclined to place this new cycle fairly near the top of the pile, principally because it has such strong character. If you know someone yet to discover this greatest of all symphonic cycles, you could hardly do better than give them this as a gift. It could set them up for life."

ROB COWAN, REVIEWING EMMANUEL KRIVINE'S COMPLETE BEETHOVEN CYCLE, GRAMOPHONE 7/2011.

My bad!

[Alison]

Shame we don't have Richard Osborne taking on this one.

Rob likes chucking in a little known version: Could it be Bazza Wordsworth ?

[EdgeleyRob]

My two are multiple, undeniably so

My one is all on it's self by it's own. (Karajan DG 60s)
Wonder if anyone on here hasn't got any LvB 4s ?

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

My one is all on it's self by it's own. (Karajan DG 60s)
Wonder if anyone on here hasn't got any LvB 4s ?

I have VPO/Furtwangler 1952, Columbia SO/Walter, VPO/Schmidt-Isserstedt, VPO/Bohm, BPO/Karajan 1984, Leipzig/Masur. The Walter is my favourite, though I'm ambivalent about works in B flat major; don't ask me why.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

(Karajan DG 60s)

A great performance, Edgey

[Tony Halstead]

I do remember playing on an ECO recording ( CBS /Sony?) at Abbey Road, conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas, maybe in the early 1980s. At the time, it seemed 'lithe and coherent', and anticipated many of the HIPP practices that were to follow.
Is it no longer available?
We also recorded all the other Beethoven symphonies apart from - inexplicably - the 3rd, which was done by the USA 'Orchestra of St Luke's' conducted by MTT. I must confess, I've always been a bit 'touchy' about this as I was very keen to play those superb, idiomatic horn parts, even on the 'wrong instrument'..( modern valve horn ).