# Furtwängler's 1954 Beethoven 5th - Vienna or Berlin?



## RobertJTh (Sep 19, 2021)

I've been listening to these two legendary performances, 2 out of 11 surviving recordings of Beethoven's 5th by Furtwängler.

The VPO studio recording (28/02 and 01/03 1954) has great sound and superb orchestral playing, but it feels strangly un-Furtwänglerian in places. The very beginning alone differs greatly from every other Furtwängler performance: instead of the usual weighty, loosely defined sound we get a sharp and precise attack. It's still a marvelous performance in every way, even if it seems strangely uncharacteristic for the conductor.

The BPO live recording (23/05 1954) is more in line with the wartime and 1947/1950 performances, more risk-taking than the Vienna studio version, and every bit as exciting as the famous 1943 version, but in much better sound, almost as good as the studio recording.

So I'm a bit conflicted - which one is better? The traditional verdict is that the 1954 BPO is the one to get, the most inspired, spiritual, very best of them all. But I find myself much attracted to the Vienna studio version because of its wonderfully clear sound. It may be the best sounding document we have of Furtwängler's conducting. It also serves as perfect proof that Furtwängler was a technically skilled conductor (a quality that has often been disputed!) and he could deliver precision and disciplined orchestral playing if he wanted. And that the more "spread" sound he achieved in his live recordings wasn't the result of an imperfect technique but a quality that he consciously pursued..

Vienna:






Berlin:


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