5/2 An "Eroica" Round-Up

I thought it might be interesting to round up a few different interpretations of Beethoven's 3rd Symphony, the "Eroica".  The first movement of the Eroica is just about my favorite piece of music ever, so I probably have 7 or 8 versions on my iPod at all times.  It never gets old and I've never heard a "bad" version (which is different from a "badly-played" one) - though some are more interesting than others.  Here's my completely biased and subjective take on a few conductors' approaches to this incredible work which pretty much kicked over the classical table when it premiered...

The video below will take you through 9 excerpts from the Eroica 1st movement conducted by:
1. Fritz Reiner
2. Wilhelm Furtwangler
3. Arturo Toscanini
4. Hermann Scherchen
5. Jascha Horenstein
6. Jordi Savall
7. Herbert von Karajan
8. Pierre Monteux
9. Leonard Bernstein 

Linklist (80 min)

And here's a few of my observations (which may change tomorrow, who knows):

Fritz Reiner
Precise, but measured. Brass and timpani are quite prominent, the orchestra is tightly controlled.

Wilhelm Furtwangler
Slower than Reiner, more of a flowing and organic style, phrases seem to connect to each other more.

Arturo Toscanini
Tight, coiled. More of a motoring feel, at times with a sense of effortless dancing.

Hermann Scherchen
Probably one of the most expressive from a tempo stand point. The pulse seems to change from phrase to phrase - suddenly fast, then slow.

Jascha Horenstein
Opening chords are like massive fists -but then it gets balletic and has a floating quality - until the sforzandos strike which again land like massive slabs of sound.

Jordi Savall
HIP (Historically Informed Performance) - Light, wiry, very fast. Orchestration is very transparent (instruments very clear). Possibly closest to what B originally intended.

Herbert von Karajan
Velvety sound, virtually flawless articulation. Almost too good. Possibly bloodless at times, but still awe-inspiring.

Pierre Monteux
A heavier approach, yet the pulse is so solid it has an inevitability to it. Wide sweeping arcs with phrases which are not afraid to stand up and be counted.  Monteux of course conducted the famous first Stravinsky "Rite of Spring" with the riot and all that....

Leonard Bernstein
Powerful, emotive, Lenny feels it and wants us to feel it. Not as precise as Reiner, he doesn't mind a little glow around the accents.

Here's another video from andantekit which uses the "Funeral March" 2nd movement as a ruler for comparison featuring Giulini, Abbado and von Karajan).
1. Giulini and the Los Angeles Philharmonic 1979 (00:00 - 2:25)
2. Abbado and the Berlin Philharmonic 2000 (2:26 - 4:36)
3. Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic late 1960s (4:37 - 6:52)

Beethoven Symphony No. 3 Giulini, Abbado, Karajan

12/19 Furtwängler's Beethoven in Wartime

Wilhelm Furtwängler is kind of like an anti-Toscanini.  His tempos are elastic and he definitely likes his ritardandos...sometimes he takes things a bit too broadly for my tastes - nonetheless his renditions of Beethoven's orchestral works, especially in the 40's is near-apocalyptic in its savagery.  Perhaps it had something to do with something called World War 2, and how it stood against all things Beethovenian.  People used to criticize Furtwängler for not fleeing Germany during the Hitler years, but apparently he helped many Jews during such awful times.  Anyways, motives aside, his Beethoven is unique, deep and moving.

Here's Furtwängler's 1947 Egmont Overture:


Here's his 1943 Coriolan Overture:


and finally his notorious 1942 Beethoven 9th...this is the 1st movement starting in the middle. I like this clip because about 40 seconds in is probably the greatest timpani part ever written...


OK, what the heck, it's a Sunday - here's the full Furtwängler 1942 9th (74 MINUTES).  Considering that his audience was made up of many in the Nazi party at the time, it seems an incredible act of bravery to perform such an life-affirming work.  The musicians here perform as if these were the last notes they were ever going to play....

Playlist HERE

Sadly there are not that many videos of live Furtwängler conducting.  There's a few recordings of his Beethoven where you can actually hear anti-aircraft fire in the background.  Maybe it wasn't the right time for the "lights, camera, action" thing....

I should also mention the movie "Taking Sides" - a fascinating film based on a play based on a true story of Furt's "de-Nazification" investigation in postwar Germany.  Harvey Keitel plays the investigating American...pretty intense and recommended.

10/17 The Große Fuge, the Grosser Fugue

Beethoven's Grosse Fugue is one of my all time favorites and I could probably spend a whole week talking about it, but since I'm currently travelling here's an interesting comparison between Beethoven's original string quartet version vs Wilhelm Furtwängler's orchestral arrangement.  I play Ludwig's original arrangement much more often - but the Furtwängler is no slouch!

Grosse Fuge, Op. 133 for String Quartet
Pt 1-2 Quartetto Italiano I think
Pt 3-4 Furtwängler's orchestral version
Pt 5-6 Winkler version for fortepiano
Pt 7 - pour a good stiff drink.