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Beethoven: Symphonies No.s 1-9 |
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Wednesday, 24 January 2007 |
 Beethoven: Symphonies No.s 1-9 (Special Edition)/Bernard Haitink, London Symphony Orchestra
One marvels at the brilliance of Beethoven as time marches on—nuances and subtleties cropping up to the ear almost as if from nowhere, and not the result of studied listening and a maturing of the mind. In these symphonies, all of the elements of greatness are evoked, and to try and add to the volumes about them is unnecessary here. Haitink is as masterful in bringing out the music as are the performers working in concert with him—as is the technical artistry being used to record and reproduce the sound.
One might fell compelled to listen to the “surround” effect first—since the album was recently recorded, including both the mulichannel and the stereo mix. That would be misguided (if only for that reason) because the stereo quality is superb and well rendered. Ambiance and the enveloping orchestration is where a multichennel performance will hold its head up, and so should be listened to from that point of view. Fortunately, multichannel is also here for the listener to enjoy—as is the addition of the Triple Concerto and Leonore Overture No. 2.
The box itself is well made and attractive: Individual sleeves hold the discs, each with descriptive text on one side and a cryptic (perhaps) sepia-toned photograph on the other. The booklet is well composed and heavy with detail__ranging from the symphonies to the performers, and more—and it’s only the small-sized text that one can take umbrage with…but certainly none can be taken with these performances.
SACD, LSO Live, Technical Rating: A |
