# Merl's Beethoven Symphony Cycles Pt13



## Merl

Back again, Merl? Let me explain.....Since I started this series of reviews (I'd reviewed around 60 cycles before now) I'd kept all my handwritten notes and when I checked back through them there were another 4 cycles that never made it on here for a variety of reasons and one that I wasn't ready to review. I thought it would be interesting, then, to round these up but don't worry I'll keep most of these reviews as concise as possible. So, unlucky for some, here's Part 13.

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!

*Kegel / Dresden Philharmonie*









Regular TC members will know that I've never had much time for Kegel's cycle. In the past I've called it "bland" and "boring" but I hadn't revisited it for probably 20 years. After recently acquiring the whole set for the princely sum of £2 from a local charity shop I thought I'd re-listen and try again. Well, I'm glad I did, as it's nowhere near as bland and forgettable as I remember (but don't start shouting "Told you so!" at me just yet). There is a standout performance on here in the form of a rugged 5th that I must admit to really liking a lot. There's a very good 4th and 8th too (two symphonies I don't remember sampling the first time round) and a decent 7th, that drags a little in the finale. The 9th starts slowly and too measured but improves as it goes on and is rounded off with a good chorale finale. Otherwise there's a nice 1st, an OK Eroica (first movement is boring as hell) but the 2nd and 6th are extremely bland. Recording-wise this is a big, bassy affair which is surprising as it was one of the first digital cycles but this comes at the expense of inner detail, especially the woodwinds and with big-boned, moderately-paced Beethoven it kind of spotlights that even more. Yet after 20 years of avoidance I may soon come back to revisit this. It's really not that bad a set at all and I'm not afraid to say "I was wrong". £2 well spent, methinks and a slice of humble pie.

_Grade: B-_

*Iimori / Wurttembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen*









Never heard of Norichika Iimori? Don't worry, many people haven't, but like Michael Sanderling his father also recorded at least one full cycle of Beethoven symphonies. However, I have some of Iimori's other Exton releases with the Japan Symphony Orchestra, in particular, and other Japanese orchestras and there's some good stuff there. Unfortunately this is not one of them. Working through this set, I've got to admit was quite a chore. Things started badly when Iimori and co treat the 1st like a baby Haydn symphony (a particular hate of mine). Things pick up for a nice 2nd before a yawn of an Eroica that is well played but thoroughly dull. The 4th is the best performance here and I liked it along with a zippier, well-observed 5th. Btw, most of this set is a little quicker than mid-paced (timings are very similar to Haitink's live LSO set but there the similarity ends). Elsewhere, we have an uneventful 6th, a 7th ruined in the last movement by some overbearing timpani and a decent 8th Coming back to the timpani it is incredibly loud and badly balanced in many of the later symphonies. To complete the set we have a mind-numbingly, yawn-inducing 9th, which I must say is a common feature of many of the 9ths i've endured by Japanese orchestras. Seems like everyone plays it EXACTLY the same way (some of them have near identical timings). I would love it if just ONE Japanese conductor gave us a quick or quirky 9th. So to round-up a very mixed bag but this is all largely forgettable. Look elsewhere.

Grade C-

Fedoseyev / Moscow RTV









Here's another set I've lambasted in the past (you'll soon see why) but one I needed to revisit as it's been at least 3 or 4 years since I heard it properly and it's been 'Remastered' which is important in the case of this recording. Ok, to explain the last time I listened to this set I proclaimed it to be the worst Beethoven cycle I had heard, stating....
_"It's recorded live and it soon becomes obvious it is. An orchestra of hyperactive broadsheet newspaper readers (from the sound of it), little forward momentum, boring unimaginative conducting, terrible orchestral playing (bum notes, out of time instruments), shrill brass, dated sound and some of the worst coughing I've heard in a live recording. The whole thing was obviously recorded during a flu epidemic at the Russian Chainsmoker's Institute and to cap it off a children's choir in the 9th symphony." _(my quote from this site when I first discussed it)
So it was with little enthusiasm that I returned to this one. How was the remastering? Had it improved the sound? Well yes, in some ways but with caveats. First the plusses. Most of the terrible coughing has been anulled or dimiminished in volume (it really was awful). The children's choir (just NO! NO! NO!), which sounded very high in the original, have had their upper range tamed but they are still painful to listen to. However, some things cant be erased. The distant, dated sound still exists but is much more in your face in parts (some odd balances on the whole set). The brass sounds even shriller but is now louder, the playing is still uneven, the tuning as dodgy as ever and the conducting leaden and at such speeds it just makes things worse (the start of the 9th seems to last forever before anything happens). Before the 'Remaster', this set was laughably bad. Now it's merely unlistenable. Yes, this truly is the worst Beethoven cycle I have.

_Grade: E? F? I'm not even sure there is a grade for this! _

*Bruggen / Orchestra of 18th Century*









The reason this one has not made it to the reviews previously is it's so hard to write about this cycle and I could never quite make my mind up about it. I also know that some people really like this set and others are not enamoured. This set has sat in my car for the past year or so and I return to it and try again. The problem is that I love some things about this set but other things frustrate me to death. Let me explain. When it's good it's very good. When it's not it's anonymous. For every great performance, such as the 6th, there's another that never gets going (the Eroica). For every positive, well-realised performance (the 4th, the 7th) there's another that seems aimless and lost (the 1st, the 8th). I love the sound at lower volumes but turn it up and the bass begins to annoy me a little in combination with a lively reverberant acoustic yet it's not an unnatural sound as it's live. What I'm trying to say is I like Bruggens. I like this set. I understand what he is trying to do and admire some things he does. He gets some amazing inner detail and the woodwinds just sound glorious throughout but they can get muddied in the acoustic at times or stand out like a fridge in a field. Sometimes the strings sound a little undernourished yet sometimes they are perfect. For me, and this won't be for everyone, what stops this cycle being up there as THE HIP cycle are the speeds. Normally it wouldn't bother me but with smaller forces and under live conditions there's too much air - the performances breathe too much which loses a lot of forward momentum and thrust and means it all gets bogged down at times. As I said this was one of the hardest LvB cycle reviews I've ever written because there are things I love here and things that annoy me. I also dislike the 9th in this set (yet I know others really rate it). A first movement that never gets going, a surprisingly leaden scherzo offset by a lovely but broad adagio and then odd balances and a shouty choir before a very exciting ending make it a really difficult and frustrating listen. However, don't get the impression that I dont like this set. As I said at the outset, I do, but it could have been much better. Is it better than his first cycle? Yes. At least we have a decent Pastoral now (that first one was woeful) and most performances are better but I prefer his first 9th.

_Grade: B / B+_

*Kuhn / Bolzano-Trento Haydn Orchestra*









For those not familiar with Gustav Kuhn, he's an Austrian conductor who studied under Swarowsky, Maderna and, for a long time, Karajan. It took ages to get this cycle as the set was a hefty price for a long time, since it first appeared in 2005. However, the cycle, recently surfaced in a flash sale for £12 new with shipping so I jumped on it. Apart from some basic but nice, arty pakaging and ignoring a booklet totally written in German, an additional 3 discs of Franz Winter reading his thoughts (in German - pointless to a non-German speaker like me) on Beethoven's symphonies, which are interpreted simultaneously by Gustav Kuhn, I'll quickly get to the music-making. Whilst the Bolzano-Trento Haydn Orchestra (who?) aren't the BPO they play very efficiently throughout these live recordings. It's a mid-paced, traditional affair with little to set the pulses racing but Kuhn has plenty of momentum within his readings and produces an occassionally charming set that just lacks the clout of a bigger orchestra (especially in the strings) but is well-realised. It's a decent library set but, like Bruggen, it's all a bit too safe and nice for me. Best of the bunch are the 2nd, 4th and 8th but there are no real standouts and no real duds either. Otherwise there's little to say. Whilst I didn't waste my money, as there is plenty to admire here, I doubt it's a set I will return to often when there are so many great mid-paced sets that I prefer. To conclude, a safe bet that's pleasant enough. As an unfortunate footnote, Gustav Kuhn has disappeared outta the public eye after sexual harrassment allegations. At the time of writing investigations are still ongoing but Kuhn retired his post at the Austrian Tyrolean Festival Erl after an open letter signed by 5 Austrian opera singers (none mentioned him by name but it was clear who they were complaining about). In a statement, in 2018, Hans Peter Haselsteiner, the festival's president, said that the 73 year-old Kuhn had completed his duties and would 'retire to a monastery and renounce the sordid world for some time.' Investigations into this and previous complaints about Kuhn's sexual behaviour are ongoing.

_Grade: B
_
So there you go.....some odds and ends cleared up and I feel happy I've tidied my desk. Feel free to add your comments, call me a charlatan or praise me highly for these reviews but remember they're just my opinions and they are subject to change (as Kegel has proved).

Previous reviews:
Merl's Beethoven Symphony Cycle Reviews Pt12
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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## Kiki

Congratulations, Merl, for another round of great reviews!

I like both Brüggen cycles, just wishing there were a bit more "edge" to it.

And you made me want to listen to Fedoseyev...... :lol:


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## Merl

Kiki said:


> Congratulations, Merl, for another round of great reviews!
> 
> I like both Brüggen cycles, just wishing there were a bit more "edge" to it.
> 
> And you made me want to listen to Fedoseyev...... :lol:


Sorry bout piquing your Fedoseyev interest, Kiki. If you do listen to it then try and hear the pre-remastered set. It's diabolical. The sound of the brass is ghastly and the coughing is awful. More than anything it's just very boring.


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## DavidA

Merl said:


> *Kegel / Dresden Philharmonie*
> 
> View attachment 130780
> 
> 
> Regular TC members will know that I've never had much time for Kegel's cycle. In the past I've called it "bland" and "boring" but I hadn't revisited it for probably 20 years. After recently acquiring the whole set for the princely sum of £2 from a local charity shop I thought I'd re-listen and try again. Well, I'm glad I did, as it's nowhere near as bland and forgettable as I remember (but don't start shouting "Told you so!" at me just yet). There is a standout performance on here in the form of a rugged 5th that I must admit to really liking a lot. There's a very good 4th and 8th too (two symphonies I don't remember sampling the first time round) and a decent 7th, that drags a little in the finale. The 9th starts slowly and too measured but improves as it goes on and is rounded off with a good chorale finale. Otherwise there's a nice 1st, an OK Eroica (first movement is boring as hell) but the 2nd and 6th are extremely bland. Recording-wise this is a big, bassy affair which is surprising as it was one of the first digital cycles but this comes at the expense of inner detail, especially the woodwinds and with big-boned, moderately-paced Beethoven it kind of spotlights that even more. Yet after 20 years of avoidance I may soon come back to revisit this. It's really not that bad a set at all and I'm not afraid to say "I was wrong". £2 well spent, methinks and a slice of humble pie.
> 
> _Grade: B-_


I bought Kegel's cycle from a charity shop. Not bad but it certainly didn't add anything to what I had already so rather than have it taking up room I decided to trade it in at the second hand shop. Interestingly the guy wasn't interested so it ended up as a donation to Oxfam! Really isn't bad as a starter set though. Hope someone is enjoying it! :lol:


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## Kiki

Merl said:


> Sorry bout piquing your Fedoseyev interest, Kiki. If you do listen to it then try and hear the pre-remastered set. It's diabolical. The sound of the brass is ghastly and the coughing is awful. More than anything it's just very boring.


I managed to listen to Fedoseyev's #3 & #5 coupling with the Moscow RTV SO (i.e. Tchaikovsky SO) on Spotify. It has a Denon cover, so I suspect it is the remastered version? (I couldn't find a free streaming version that has the red cover). The Denon #5 is OK. Quite committed, old-fashioned big-band style which I personally don't enjoy, but it's not too bad, in the sense that it's probably on a par with anybody's favourite moan-moan-moan-and-more-moaning version out there (so I suppose some folks will probably love it). Enough said. #3, on the other hand, is, ahem, amusing! The funerally funeral music is its own funeral; while the Finale sounds like, ahem, an embarrassing ballad hummed while taking a leisure jog in the park. It's pretty amusing. OK, abysmal. As for the recording, it's Spotify, and I was listening on my AV rig because of convenience, instead of my proper rig for music, so I didn't expect any nice surprise. The sound is heavily processed, with good extension at both ends, but a bit squeaky at the top end and heavily reverberant at the low end. It's bad, but these things happen. OK, that should have satisfied my OCD, no, curiosity for listening to how bad it is. Let's move on. :lol:

Merl, I agree with your verdict as far as the #3 & #5 that I've heard are concerned. (If indeed the Denon version is the remastered version.)


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## Merl

Kiki said:


> I
> 
> Merl, I agree with your verdict as far as the #3 & #5 that I've heard are concerned. (If indeed the Denon version is the remastered version.)


Haha. It must be, Kiki. He's only made the one cycle (thankfully). Of that cycle the 7th is the best but that's still very average. The 5th is just behind but if you wanna hear a worse performance than that gruesome Eroica try his 9th. It's bloody awful. The first movement seems to last about 5 hours. Tedious.


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## Joachim Raff

Fantastic work. I value your opinion above those "professional reviewers"
Have you reviewed the following?


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## Merl

Joachim Raff said:


> Fantastic work. I value your opinion above those "professional reviewers"
> Have you reviewed the following?
> 
> View attachment 130882


No I didn't review it as Granate reviewed it in his original series. My reviews are all of the more obscure or newer sets that Granate didn't review (even though I often disagreed with his opinions). My own opinion on the Schmidt-Isserstedt cycle is that its a good but unspectacular set that (like Cluytens) can be a bit stiff at times.


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## bharbeke

Do you have a post where you share your favorites of those that Granate did review?

Also, are there any cycles in the pipeline that you are looking forward to hearing in the future?


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## Merl

bharbeke said:


> Do you have a post where you share your favorites of those that Granate did review?
> 
> Also, are there any cycles in the pipeline that you are looking forward to hearing in the future?


No, I've not reviewed those that Granate did but perhaps I should (they'd be much shorter reviews though). As far as missing cycles there's a few I definitely want to hear including sets by Gazarian, Georgescu, Duval, Porcelojihn and Wolff. I've a few sets that I need to complete too. Eagerly awaiting Haselbock's completion of his cycle. Maybe I should review some partial sets I have too. Lol


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## Joachim Raff

Merl said:


> No I didn't review it as Granate reviewed it in his original series. My reviews are all of the more obscure or newer sets that Granate didn't review (even though I often disagreed with his opinions). My own opinion on the Schmidt-Isserstedt cycle is that its a good but unspectacular set that (like Cluytens) can be a bit stiff at times.


Do you have a link to Granate's Review of this cycle?


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## Merl

Joachim Raff said:


> Do you have a link to Granate's Review of this cycle?


Granate's Beethoven Symphony Challenge - Table 4 (WE 2 - UK, SWZ, AUS, CZR)


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## Marc

DavidA said:


> I bought Kegel's cycle from a charity shop. Not bad but it certainly didn't add anything to what I had already so rather than have it taking up room I decided to trade it in at the second hand shop. Interestingly the guy wasn't interested so it ended up as a donation to Oxfam! Really isn't bad as a starter set though. Hope someone is enjoying it! :lol:


I bought it during my college years, on vinyl, brand new, for a budget price.
I already had music cassette recordings of Konwitschny/Gewandhaus, which I had taped from my dad's vinyl set.
I preferred Konwitschny, but Kegel was quite fine, too. And I felt immensely proud that I had this big box in my record cabinet. Wow man, all of legendary Ludwig's famous symphonies in *my* small student's room. My friends weren't much into classical, but they were nevertheless impressed. They considered me _knowledgeable_, because of it. Of course, they only wanted to hear "ta-ta-ta-taaaaah"!
:lol:


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## Joachim Raff

I love this review and funny enough Hurwitz reviewed the Kegel cycle yesterday. He also quoted how he forgot how good these performance were when they were first released.


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## Kreisler jr

The Kegel was my first on CD (I had 3,5,6,9 on MC/LP before that), mainly because it was the most affordable "digital" (or generally recent, most of the CD versions of the good stereo analogue cycles were also more expensive) recording in 1988. It's been a while I listened to it, the last time I revisited a few symphonies I was somewhat pleasantly surprised, it is fairly solid but not much more, I'd say. And of course the competition in the last 35 years does not make the Kegel more relevant. I think Kegel made quite a few very good recordings of 20th century music, e.g. Hindemith, Webern etc., also the Brahms Requiem is excellent, but I am a bit surprised when I still read recommendations of his studio Beethoven as some kind of dark horse.


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## Merl

Kreisler jr said:


> I think Kegel made quite a few very good recordings of 20th century music, e.g. Hindemith, Webern etc., also the Brahms Requiem is excellent, but I am a bit surprised when I still read recommendations of his studio Beethoven as some kind of dark horse.


It's not really a dark horse but when I wrote that I'd been dissing that cycle for years so was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't anywhere near as bad as I'd remembered. I'd still recommend lots and lots of cycles over it but it's not a bad cycle at all, for its age.


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## Kreisler jr

Not by you, but I have frequently seen the Kegel recommended as some secretly great dark horse fairly recently (say in the last 20 years when there were lots of other good/better cheap cycles around). 
Which I found a bit puzzling whereas I also think that it was a solid starter set >30 years ago when one could get it around the price of 2.5 full price discs (such as Bernstein/Vienna or digital Karajan "sun cover" would have been).


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