Symphony No. 5. Robert Trevino, Malmo Symphony Orchestra. Various other conductors and orchestras. Naxos 8.551451 (2-disc set).
By John J. Puccio
Many years ago, in the early Eighties as I recall, I invited a group of classical music-loving friends over to listen and compare as many versions of the Beethoven Fifth Symphony as we could assemble. It was just for fun, and over the course of several nights about a dozen of us listened to more than a dozen different Fifth Symphony Allegro con brios (the opening movement). Not that it matters, but we favored three recordings above the rest: Arturo Toscanini (RCA), Fritz Reiner (RCA), and Carlos Kleiber (DG) because they appeared to have the most energy and impact, with a fourth recording by Karl Bohm (DG) a runner-up because it sounded the most like what we all considered a traditional Fifth Symphony to sound like.
I mention all this because it’s pretty much what the folks at Naxos have done with this disc, subtitled “Ta ta tata.” So, yes, it’s a kind of gimmick album. But there’s method behind the madness. As the producers explain in a cover note: “The notes G-G-G-E flat, better known as simply ‘ta-ta-ta-taaa,’ are perhaps the four most famous in all of classical music. They form the opening motif of Symphony No. 5 in C minor by Ludwig van Beethoven. Featured here are twelve interpretations of the famous first movement by legendary artists including Otto Klemperer, Michael Gielen, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski and Jascha Horenstein, exploring the range and diversity of Beethoven’s Fifth on record during the last 70 years. A complete performance of the symphony in a new recording conducted by Robert Trevino is also included. Hear, discover and compare.”
Unfortunately, you will not find the four conductors I mentioned in the introduction; however, you will find enough varied interpretations to get the idea that all music is subjective and can be perceived differently by both a conductor and an audience.
As we all know, most composers leave the nuances of musical interpretation to conductors, so matters of rubato, legato, contrast, dynamics, tempi, and many other elements are up to conductors to convey in their own personal visions of such matters. Nevertheless, a simple glance at the timings on this disc for each conductor’s rendering of the first movement tell us something right away. For instance, it should come as no surprise that conductors like Roger Norrington and Roy Goodman, known for their work in historically informed performances, should turn in some of the quickest times: 6:23 and 7:36 minutes respectively, or that Otto Klemperer and Hans Rosbaud, known for their more traditional approaches, should be the slowest: 8:09 and 8:53. What may be surprising, though, is that the newest of the recordings--the complete rendering that closes the second disc--by Maestro Trevino, would be as fleet-footed as it is: 6:50.
Anyway, to add to the madness, we also have the fact that Beethoven himself was experimenting with the newfangled metronome machine at the time and left precise metronome markings for each movement, something that most conductors for the past 200 years have ignored. Why? Some conductors have simply disagreed with the tempi, choosing to present the music their own way. Other conductors have just followed tradition, correct or not. While a few others believe Beethoven’s metronome must have been faulty and that he couldn’t have really meant the tempi to be so fast. Whatever, we get a wide range of readings on the present disc, and it’s fun to make up our own minds as to which ones we enjoy the most.
Here’s a complete rundown of the tracks involved:
CD1:
1. Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Otto Klemperer (1951)
2. Saarbrucken Radio Symphony Orchestra, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski (2005)
3. Pro Musica Orchestra, Jascha Horenstein (1956)
4. Southwest German Radio Symphony, Hans Rosbaud (1961)
5. The Hanover Band, Roy Goodman (1983)
6. Konstantin Scherbakov, piano (1998)
7. Cologne Chamber Orchestra, Helmut Muller-Bruhl (2006)
8. Danish Chamber Orchestra, Adam Fischer (2016)
CD2:
1. Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, Michael Gielen (1970)
2. Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, Roger Norrington (2002)
3. Dresden Philharmonic, Herbert Kegel (1982/83)
4. Nicolaus Esterhazy Sinfonia, Bela Drahos (1995)
5-8. Malmo Symphony Orchestra, Robert Trevino (2019)
Otto Klemperer opens the program with a reading that may be on the slow side but is powerful and energetic. He would later record it in stereo with the New Philharmonia, of course, but this earlier one seems to me more animated. Skrowaczewski’s reading, in contrast, is much quicker paced but seems lacking in character compared to Klemperer’s more monumental production. Horenstein seems positively glacial compared to the first two. Rosbaud adopts a heavy, conventional approach, which takes a moment or two to get used to. Goodman and his Hanover Band on period instruments seems fairly lightweight next the preceding conductors. Scherbakov’s piano transcription (arr. Franz Liszt) provides an absorbing and welcome counterbalance to the surrounding orchestral versions. Then Muller-Bruhl’s and Adam Fischer’s chamber ensemble renditions get us back into the conventional swing of things, although they were a bit too much the welterweights for my taste.
Michael Gielen starts disc two out on a zippy note, followed by Roger Norrington’s decidedly unconventional delivery, which starts out rather slowly and then speeds into a frenzy of varied tempos, pauses, dynamics, and contrasts. It’s anything but boring, but I don’t know that I’d want to visit it often. Herbert Kegel and Bela Drahos lead traditional performances before Robert Trevino and his Malmo Symphony close the program in lively fashion with the complete symphony. Still, nothing I heard on the two discs dissuaded me from liking Kleiber, Reiner, Szell, and Bohm best of all.
Naxos made this album in Germany and released it in 2021. Obviously, most of the selections have different recording dates, different production teams, and different recording venues, which the booklet does not identify. (They suggest you visit their Web site for complete information.) Whatever the circumstance, however, the sound engineers transferred all of it pretty well, whether it’s mono or stereo, seventy years old or just a few years old. The Klemperer mono track that opens disc one, for instance, is very dynamic and wide ranging. If it had been in stereo, I would have said it was the best sounding track of all. Nevertheless, the listener will not be too disappointed in the sound of any of the tracks.
JJP
To listen to a brief excerpt from this album, click below:
By John J. Puccio
I mention all this because it’s pretty much what the folks at Naxos have done with this disc, subtitled “Ta ta tata.” So, yes, it’s a kind of gimmick album. But there’s method behind the madness. As the producers explain in a cover note: “The notes G-G-G-E flat, better known as simply ‘ta-ta-ta-taaa,’ are perhaps the four most famous in all of classical music. They form the opening motif of Symphony No. 5 in C minor by Ludwig van Beethoven. Featured here are twelve interpretations of the famous first movement by legendary artists including Otto Klemperer, Michael Gielen, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski and Jascha Horenstein, exploring the range and diversity of Beethoven’s Fifth on record during the last 70 years. A complete performance of the symphony in a new recording conducted by Robert Trevino is also included. Hear, discover and compare.”
Unfortunately, you will not find the four conductors I mentioned in the introduction; however, you will find enough varied interpretations to get the idea that all music is subjective and can be perceived differently by both a conductor and an audience.
As we all know, most composers leave the nuances of musical interpretation to conductors, so matters of rubato, legato, contrast, dynamics, tempi, and many other elements are up to conductors to convey in their own personal visions of such matters. Nevertheless, a simple glance at the timings on this disc for each conductor’s rendering of the first movement tell us something right away. For instance, it should come as no surprise that conductors like Roger Norrington and Roy Goodman, known for their work in historically informed performances, should turn in some of the quickest times: 6:23 and 7:36 minutes respectively, or that Otto Klemperer and Hans Rosbaud, known for their more traditional approaches, should be the slowest: 8:09 and 8:53. What may be surprising, though, is that the newest of the recordings--the complete rendering that closes the second disc--by Maestro Trevino, would be as fleet-footed as it is: 6:50.
Anyway, to add to the madness, we also have the fact that Beethoven himself was experimenting with the newfangled metronome machine at the time and left precise metronome markings for each movement, something that most conductors for the past 200 years have ignored. Why? Some conductors have simply disagreed with the tempi, choosing to present the music their own way. Other conductors have just followed tradition, correct or not. While a few others believe Beethoven’s metronome must have been faulty and that he couldn’t have really meant the tempi to be so fast. Whatever, we get a wide range of readings on the present disc, and it’s fun to make up our own minds as to which ones we enjoy the most.
Here’s a complete rundown of the tracks involved:
CD1:
1. Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Otto Klemperer (1951)
2. Saarbrucken Radio Symphony Orchestra, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski (2005)
3. Pro Musica Orchestra, Jascha Horenstein (1956)
4. Southwest German Radio Symphony, Hans Rosbaud (1961)
5. The Hanover Band, Roy Goodman (1983)
6. Konstantin Scherbakov, piano (1998)
7. Cologne Chamber Orchestra, Helmut Muller-Bruhl (2006)
8. Danish Chamber Orchestra, Adam Fischer (2016)
CD2:
1. Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, Michael Gielen (1970)
2. Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, Roger Norrington (2002)
3. Dresden Philharmonic, Herbert Kegel (1982/83)
4. Nicolaus Esterhazy Sinfonia, Bela Drahos (1995)
5-8. Malmo Symphony Orchestra, Robert Trevino (2019)
Michael Gielen starts disc two out on a zippy note, followed by Roger Norrington’s decidedly unconventional delivery, which starts out rather slowly and then speeds into a frenzy of varied tempos, pauses, dynamics, and contrasts. It’s anything but boring, but I don’t know that I’d want to visit it often. Herbert Kegel and Bela Drahos lead traditional performances before Robert Trevino and his Malmo Symphony close the program in lively fashion with the complete symphony. Still, nothing I heard on the two discs dissuaded me from liking Kleiber, Reiner, Szell, and Bohm best of all.
Naxos made this album in Germany and released it in 2021. Obviously, most of the selections have different recording dates, different production teams, and different recording venues, which the booklet does not identify. (They suggest you visit their Web site for complete information.) Whatever the circumstance, however, the sound engineers transferred all of it pretty well, whether it’s mono or stereo, seventy years old or just a few years old. The Klemperer mono track that opens disc one, for instance, is very dynamic and wide ranging. If it had been in stereo, I would have said it was the best sounding track of all. Nevertheless, the listener will not be too disappointed in the sound of any of the tracks.
JJP
To listen to a brief excerpt from this album, click below:
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for your comment. It will be published after review.