# Merl's Beethoven Symphony Cycle Reviews Pt12



## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

So, you thought I'd gone. Fraid not! I'm back with Part 12 and I expect I'll be back with Part 13 next year due to the plethora of sets that should be completed for the Beethoven 250 celebrations. The purpose of this thread is merely to offer some of my own views on some of the numerous cycles out there....cycles that may be unknown to some, have few (or no) reviews online or are brand new. There are so many perfectly adequate sets out there that anyone buying the sets below would likely not be disappointed with some aspects of these cycles, however the cream of these rise to the top and should be investigated. Incidentally, as usual, I will discuss tempi but it usually doesn't matter to me whether my Beethoven is slow, mid-paced or quick. I can appreciate all types.

Rating are as follows:

C Satisfactory cycle. Ok, but nothing to shout about
B- Good cycle but flawed (see decriptions in thread).
B Good standard. A decent library set or better.
B+ Very good set. Some very impressive performances. Well worth investing in.
A- Excellent set just missing a little something to take it to the top of the pile but all performances very good or better.
A* Wow! Currently the cream of the crop out there in LvB Cycleland. Buy, borrow or listen, now!

I know that's a bit simplistic but it works for me. Anyhoo, here we go again........

*Nelsons / VPO*









I'll start with Andriss Nelsons' new DG set as it's the one most people (including me) wanted to hear. Usually I dive straight in at Symphony 7 and go from there but I thought I'll start elsewhere this time so I worked my way through them numerically. This cycle starts off promisingly. The first two symphonies are handled well, with the 2nd sounding less cautious. Tempi are moderate , the VPO's playing is lovely and all seems well. Things start to change in the Eroica. For me the whole symphony never really gets going. It's a dark reading where the first movement plods and sounds heavy-handed. Even the scherzo doesn't have the thrust required but I'll come back to this issue later. The 4th is more successful and an enjoyable performance, even if the final movement doesn't bubble as effervescently as I'd like. The 5th is ok but again is plagued by a lack of forward momentum and Nelsons' reluctance to drive the music, letting the VPO dictate the pace. The 6th is defintely the highlight of this set. It's a cracking reading, in which the VPO sound simply ravishing. The Storm may be a little undernourished but elsewhere it's beautiful. In fact, with a revised storm that Pastoral would be almost at the top of the pile, it's that good. Similarly the 7th is impressive too. The opening movement is very well handled, the slow movement is broad but the playing is superb and then we have a really nice, very quick presto (that took me by surprise after the slow tempi of the Andante) and a finale that starts off really well before tailing off a little at the end. I'm far less convinced by Nelsons' 8th and especially the 9th. The 8th is decent but, for me, sounds disjointed as a reading. The 9th I find just boring. The first movement drags, lacks excitement and is rather sloppy-sounding to these ears, the 2nd movement feels slow and from there I sort of lost interest until the soloists who didn't convince me either. To sum up it's a decent but flawed set, the VPO are, as always, tremendous but Nelsons' decision not to stamp too much of his authority on the cycle is the drawback. What I'm saying is it lacks character, rhythmic thrust and momentum and is often annoyingly legato-laden. For better moderately-paced, big-band Beethoven in modern sound I'd say stick with Wand, Barenboim, etc who do it with far more conviction and identity. What a shame!

_Grade: B-_

*Jordan / Vienna Symphony Orchestra*









This live set caused me some trouble in reviewing it after the praise I lavished on Jordan's previous excellent Blu-ray set with his Paris forces. Yet again this cycle (issued on individual dics that are not cheap) makes use of brisker tempos, leaner textures and potent attacks. The pairing of symphonies 1&3 works really well, with a brisk, refreshing and extremely enjoyable 1st. The Eroica is similarly swift and Jordan makes the scherzo positively bounce but for me understates the finale a little however this is still an impressive account. Symphonies 2&7 are very good too, especially the 2nd, which I found thoroughly convincing and extremely well-played, with great raspy horns and terrific woodwinds. Many reviews have raved over the 7th here but, for me, it doesn't work as well as Jordan's excellent Paris 7th, which is slightly swifter and with far greater forward momentum (especially in the presto) but it' still a very good account. Again, in the the recordings of the 4th and 5th there are hugely enjoyable moments. The 4th is particularly good with some lovely punchy accents and a great final movement. The 5th I feel lacks a bit of heft and bass but is a spirited, tightly-played and rousing performance. The opening of the Pastoral is lovely and Jordan's storm is especially thrilling. The 8th is a decent reading with very brisk tempi but I'm not sure about the finale, which lacks a tiny bit of charm. I also found that the sound of this disc was slightly different to the others in the series with a little more distant sounding acoustic (might just be the quality of the download). The set is rounded off with a decent 9th (which isn't as good as his Paris 9th but has an invigorating finale). To sum up, this is a very enjoyable set and Jordan clearly has his Vienna forces really well-drilled but I urge you to hear the Paris Blu-ray set, which I find has better sound, mostly better performances (except perhaps the 1st and 2nd) and is just a terrific cycle. This is still a very good cycle too and a definite 'grower' on subsequent listens.

_Grade: B+_

*Tennstedt / Various (MEMORIES)*









It's took me some time to get hold of this but the wait was worth it. This rare, and expensive set, on the Memories label is a collection of Tennstedt Beethoven live performances of variable recording quality but is a fascinating insight into an excellent conductor. All are from broadcast tapes - Symphonies 2&7 were recorded in 1977 with the Boston SO, Symphonies 6&8 are from the same orchestra in 1975, Symphony 1 is with the Mecklenberg Staatskapelle (who?) from 1968, Symphony 3 with the VPO in 1982, Symphony 4 with the NYPO in 1980, Symphony 5 with the Kiel Philharmonic (another who?) from 1980 and finally symphony 9 is with the LPO in 1991 (not to be confused with either the BBC Legends or the Lucia Popp recording). What's it like? Well it's a mixed bag recording-wise. Starting with the bad, the Boston 2nd is rough as old boots with tape dropouts, hiss and congestion but it could have been a nice performance. The NYPO Fourth is similarly poorly transferred with some wow, swish and dropout in the upper range which is a shame as it's a very good, if broad, account. The 3rd is big-boned, extremely bassy and possibly the least interesting reading here, IMO. The 7th suffers from a slightly recessed sound but is a convincing if a little leaden performance until Tennstedt gets into the finale, where things end excellently. The 8th is a more energetic reading but is again compromised by a noisy acoustic. The Boston Pastoral is a charming reading which bubbles beautifully with lots of forward momentum. However, I've left the treasures here to the end. The first of these is an incandescent, well recorded 1st Symphony but even better is a stunning 5th with power galore and and taken at a very brisk clip for Tennstedt. The finale is immense and it naturally brings the house down. Make no bones about it, this is a magnificent 5th that you should try and hear it, regardless of the odd moment of dodgy ensemble. The 1991 LPO 9th is equally brilliant and beats all other Tennstedt 9ths hands-down. It's a monumental performance of old-school Beethoven that just gets better as it goes on (but my favourite is the 2nd movement which is absolutely buoyant). The roar at the end sounds like something from a football match but I'm not surprised. It's that special. I've not bothered grading this - what I will say is that if you're a Tennstedt fan or Beethoven lover you've got to hear the 1st, 5th and 9th!
_
Grade: Impossible to grade!! _

*Sanderling / Dresden Philharmonic*









I've been playing several sets of Beethoven cycles in the car over the past month or so, in readiness for this review, but the one I've returned to the most is this one. I don't know what it is about it but it just exudes class. It's stylish, fresh, great-sounding, rhythmically spot-on and it just feels right. Sanderling Jnr, like his dad, knows his way around Beethoven. This is neither lean, lithe HIP stuff or huge, big-band Barenboim / Karajan. It's not very quick but neither is it slow, it's just right - the 'Goldilocks set' for those who think Klempy is way too pedestrian and Chailly way too hurried. For those who have Peter Maag's excellent cycle you'll know what to expect (as a closest comparison), great playing, clean lines, excellent pulse and just the right amount of drive. The woodwinds, brass and timpani are glorious and caught beautifully in crystal clear sound. The standouts are a beautifully lyrical Pastoral and a bouncy 4th but there's something I like about every performance, whether it's the fresh 5th or the delightfiul 2nd. Basically, there's not a bad performance here, and although, leaving aside the 4th and 6th, none of the rest are top of the shop I still walked away from this set with a smile. This is seriously good Beethoven. No OTT climaxes, clipped phrasing, forced driven scherzos, overbearing legato......no this is very good, dynamically perfect and a nice surprise. I look forward to hearing more from Michael Sanderling. I'd love to hear his Brahms. If it's as special as his father's we are in for a treat.

_Grade: A-_

*Various / Various (Denon)*









I'm not gonna spend much time on this one. This is a Denon Essentials download of a number of budget releases from infamous shyster, Alfred Sholtz, that have been doing the round on every budget label you can think of over the years (Tring, Point, etc). The one point of interest here are Anton Nanut's Beethoven symphony recordings (Symphonies 3-8), which are correctly attributed to him here (sometimes other recordings are not his). Nanut, the 'Budget Karajan', was an interesting conductor, as those who have his Mahler symphonies will agree. His Beethoven readings with the Ljublana RSO are characterised by mainly moderate pacing but have a strong forward momentum, the best being a no-nonsense, no frills 5th, a speedier Pastoral and, my favourite of all, a direct and exciting 7th. All of Nanut's Beethoven is worth hearing as he seems to get the best from limited forces even though the Ljublana RSO are certainly no BPO and there's an odd moment of dodgy ensemble. Elsewhere the pseudonym conductors (Cantieri and Duvier - they didnt exist - more likely it was Sholtz himself with scratch orchestras) give us average performances of symphonies 1&2 and an ok account of the 9th, marred by a dreadful quartet of soloists but you should hear Nanut. There's an organic quality to his Beethoven that I've always found appealing.

_Grade: C_

So that's it for another installment. Feel free to add your comments, call me a charlatan or praise me highly for these reviews. Previous reviews are linked below.

Merl's Beethoven Syphony Cycle Reviews Pt11
Merl's Beethoven Symphony Cycle Reviews Pt10
Merl's Beethoven Symphony Cycle Reviews Pt9
Merl's Beethoven Symphony Cycle Reviews Pt8
Merl's Beethoven Symphony Cycle Reviews Pt7
Merl's Beethoven Symphony Cycle Reviews Pt6
Merl's Beethoven Symphony Cycle Reviews Pt5
Merl's Beethoven Symphony Cycle Reviews Pt4
Merl's Beethoven Symphony Cycle Reviews Pt3
Merl's Beethoven Symphony Cycle Review Pt2
Merl's Beethoven Symphony Cycle Reviews Pt1


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

I think you pegged the Nelsons accurately. After his Shostakovich, I was expecting great things. As you say, disappointing.


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## D Smith (Sep 13, 2014)

Thanks for your thoughtful reviews as always Merl. I just got the Nelsons which I have been looking forward to hearing. I always start with the Eroica myself. I can agree with you on the lack of forward progress. Seems like Nelsons is going for heavy punctuation and dynamics. It sounded almost Brucknerian in parts, perhaps he was influenced from his excellent Bruckner recordings with Gewandhaus. But I didn’t dislike it for all that and will check the rest out. I’ll also listen to the Michael Sanderling Beethoven based on your recommendation, a conductor I’m unfamiliar with, though some of his father’s recordings are my go to versions.


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

D Smith said:


> Thanks for your thoughtful reviews as always Merl. I just got the Nelsons which I have been looking forward to hearing. I always start with the Eroica myself. I can agree with you on the lack of forward progress. Seems like Nelsons is going for heavy punctuation and dynamics. It sounded almost Brucknerian in parts, perhaps he was influenced from his excellent Bruckner recordings with Gewandhaus. But I didn't dislike it for all that and will check the rest out. I'll also listen to the Michael Sanderling Beethoven based on your recommendation, a conductor I'm unfamiliar with, though some of his father's recordings are my go to versions.


I don't dislike the Nelsons but it's very old-fashioned and not what I was expecting after Nelsons' excellent Brahms and Shostakovich. For me he's not stamped his own personality on the cycle, like he did with the aforementioned. The Sanderling was a pleasant surprise. Very moderate recordings but very sensible choices that sound right. You may not agree but that's why I love doing these.


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## NLAdriaan (Feb 6, 2019)

KenOC said:


> I think you pegged the Nelsons accurately. After his Shostakovich, I was expecting great things. As you say, disappointing.


I also agree, it would be interesting to have a LvB cycle by the same VPO without a conductor. it just could make little difference

It also looks like a rush job. Nelsons takes years for his great Shostakovich cycle and for his most interesting Bruckner cycle. This was released all at once. But the VPO goes on tour with Beethoven & Nelsons in 2020 and he will conduct the next new years concert from Vienna, so they obviously were in need of some merchandise


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## Kiki (Aug 15, 2018)

Congratulations, Merl, for another round of great reviews!

I like the Jordan/Vienna set. It sounds fresh and natural in general, although it doesn't cause any feeling of elation like the recent Ádám Fischer. (I'm still pondering about getting the Paris BD set but it's still rather expensive.)

Sampled around 1/3 of the Andris Nelsons set on Spotify out of curiosity. Old-fashioned it certainly is, but it does not sound committed enough to live up to the old-fashion standard. In fact I was expecting a spectacle, but it certainly is NOT. (Unlike some of you, I actually dislike his Shostakovitch, which sounds to me all about the spectacular sound and there's nothing underneath the glossy surface.)


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## CnC Bartok (Jun 5, 2017)

Interesting about the Tennstedt. I have his 6&8 on EMI, which I bought in the early days of my CD collection, as I tried to put together a very good set of the symphonies under whoever got good reviews. I must admit neither reading ever disappointed me, especially a wonderfully sunny 8th.

I did get the impression the Nelsons set was first and foremost a commercial venture. I was unaware it was even in the pipeline, and has come out quickly, his other cycles or series seem to be coming out more sensibly, bit by bit.

Also interesting to see a positive response to Sanderling Jnr. Maybe I'd expect it to be "bigger" than the Maag set you're comparing it to, as the latter does have some chamber characteristics (maybe the acoustics) at times? Often these obscurer sets (a second orchestra in Dresden? That's quite good going!) are the ones which bring the pleasant surprises!


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

CnC Bartok said:


> Also interesting to see a positive response to Sanderling Jnr. Maybe I'd expect it to be "bigger" than the Maag set you're comparing it to, as the latter does have some chamber characteristics (maybe the acoustics) at times? Often these obscurer sets (a second orchestra in Dresden? That's quite good going!) are the ones which bring the pleasant surprises!


The Dresden Philharmonie is little larger than Maag's Padua forces but they're still a modest-sized orchestra and they have a rich tradition in playing Beethoven (they recorded a full cycle with Kegel at the start of the digital age). It is a little bigger in sound (though not significantly) compared to Maag but the recording is very full and sounds more towards a full-size orchestra but with a more chamber-like feel (if you get my drift). Stylistically it's very similar though. As far as Tennsetdt is concerned there are quite a few of his Beethoven recordings out there with various orchestras (and of varying recording quality) but few of certain symphonies (especially 2&4). I have the 6th and 8th you are referring to and I do like the 8th a lot and it would have been nice to have it in this set but it's licensed elsewhere. There are also BBC Legends recordings of 1, 5 & 7 to consider especially the 7th as it is much better than the one on this set. One other recording by him that I'd heartily recommend to complement this set is his recording of the 3rd with the NDR which beats all his other Eroica recordings hands-down for me.
















Incidentally, I have 4 other cycle reviews (and one that is 70% written) that I still have notes for that I've not used in this series. I'm wondering if I should cobble them together for a part 13. Lol.


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## NLAdriaan (Feb 6, 2019)

Kiki said:


> ...I actually dislike his Shostakovitch, which sounds to me all about the spectacular sound and there's nothing underneath the glossy surface...


In Nelsons defense, I heard him conduct the RCO live in Shosta 8 around 2011, the audience was spellbound from beginning to end, great depth and very moving. The concert was also recorded in Lucerne and was released on DVD.


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## CnC Bartok (Jun 5, 2017)

Merl said:


> Incidentally, I have 4 other cycle reviews (and one that is 70% written) that I still have notes for that I've not used in this series. I'm wondering if I should cobble them together for a part 13. Lol.


If your stamina is still up there, so's ours!


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## DarkAngel (Aug 11, 2010)

Merl said:


> I don't dislike the Nelsons but it's very old-fashioned and not what I was expecting after Nelsons' excellent Brahms and Shostakovich. For me he's not stamped his own personality on the cycle, like he did with the aforementioned. The Sanderling was a pleasant surprise. Very moderate recordings but very sensible choices that sound right. You may not agree but that's why I love doing these.


Also of note is Nelsons comes in DVD size longbox book format package, deluxe appearance and nice content but will not fit in your CD storage system..........

The M Sanderling boxset has been ordered (a bit hard to find) 

Jordan boxset is on my Presto UK wishlist for Nov 8 release.....btw how do you get to hear these sets before release dates? (answer my own question, individual CDs already out)


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

DarkAngel said:


> Jordan boxset is on my Presto UK wishlist for Nov 8 release.....btw how do you get to hear these sets before release dates? (answer my own question, individual CDs already out)


As you realised, the 9th, the last disc of Jordan's cycle, was released in September (I already had the other 4 discs). As for the the Nelsons: I've been streaming it since day of release. I won't be buying that one. Btw, I don't get any music before release date. I used to back in the 80s and 90s, when I worked in the industry and had mates who worked in the music business, but not anymore.


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## Oldhoosierdude (May 29, 2016)

Poor Nanut. Lumped in with that cad Scholz (or Scholtz I've seen both)


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