Earthshaking | Beethoven: Symphonie Nr. 9 | Rudolf Watzke, Ludwig van Beethoven, ... ...

Sublime Ninth Symphony. | Beethoven: Symphonie Nr. 9 | Rudolf Watzke, Ludwig van Beethoven, ...

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	• Beethoven: Symphonie Nr. 9 Rudolf Watzke, Ludwig van Beethoven, ... Archipel, 2000 average customer review:based on 6 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Furious Beethoven

This is one the best transfers of Furtwangler's famous 1942 Berlin Ninth. It still doesn't sound great - the timpani sounds like mortar fire at times in the first two movements - but it probably can't get much better. It seems to be on par with the Music & Arts transfer. As for the performance, it is like nothing else by any other conductor, or even other Furtwangler recordings. It is variously described as ferocious, cyclonic, volcanic, etc. In other words, not at all like the 1954 Philharmonia recording. But it still has all the familiar Furtwangler touches; the tempi varying in the same ways at the same spots. It is basically the standard Furtwangler interpretation circa 1951-1953, but more so.

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Earthshaking

After listening to this wartime 9th, I finally undertood why Beethoven wrote in the final movement "friends, no more of these sounds..."

Sublime Ninth Symphony.

I own three different versions of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, and this is definitely the best of them, it is a small universe in itself; the First Movement is thrilling and thundering, the Second Movement is intense and creates an excellent contrast to the beatiful and sweet Third Movement, probably the best that I have heard in any version of the Ninth; finally the Fourth Movement closes the Symphony with a fast pace which slows down some times to give you a breath and enjoy the excellent work of the Chorus, and end up with a joyous celebration of music. Furtwangler is one of the greatest directors of all time, and this is one of his greatest works. The sound is not the best, but this is a historical recording, get it for the quality and beauty of the music on it, and for the chance to listen to Beethoven at his best.

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: Who will conduct a Beethoven Symphony after him?.

1942: It's wartime. Once more Wilhelm Fürtwangler conducts this work. But this is not another additional performance.
Fürtwangler has decided that evening that the Ninth must elevate far beyond the podium and the hall. Something in the enviroment will be shocked since the first bars.
In the First Movement the cosmic fury and the tragic mood face one each other.
The Adagio is a true Requiem; the baton of W.F. works out as Achilles sword. This Symphony that evening will mean a clear message for the present listeners and thinking about the listeners of the future: the end is near.
Never before in the story of the music a performance will resound like this one. The intrepretative violence is not gratuite: Every time Fürtwnagler conducted Beethoven it was a true ritual a real cathartic experience.
This historical recording overpasses by far, all the adjectives to become a cosmic experience.
Who will conduct a Beethoven Symphony after him?.

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Historic Recording

This is a performance which is quite famous because it was a live performance in Berlin during WW2 conducted by Furtwangler, acknowledged by many then and now as the greatest conductor of his time. Furtwangler's performance performance may be the most intense performance of this piece ever recorded. It is hard not to attribute this to the circumstances of those times. This is, however, not for everyone. If you are looking for a starter ninth, look elsewhere, or if you want great sound. This is from 1942. The sound is poor by todays standards. If you are interested in exploring great performances of the past, this is a Ninth that is unique and well worth exploring.

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