Gorgeous Beethoven, July 24, 2002

Does this guy ever offer any real insight? It seems like he is a pretty closed-minded evaluator of music. He consistently lauds Bernstein's good-but-not-great Vienna cycle, and yet he bashes Karajan's interpretations as well as Abbado's. First of all, Karajan had made numerous well-regarded performances of Beethoven, and after scanning Mr. Hurwitz' reviews, I've noticed he is just plain biased against him. Likewise, Abbado's set from the 1980's is the closest in sound and performance to that of the old guard and as a result quite rewarding; but because Hurwitz doesn't like it, he dismisses it completely. This is a fine disc, with a beautifully conceived Sixth and an outstanding rendition of the Choral Fantasy, played masterfully by Maurizio Pollini (at least Hurwitz got that right). In the Fantasy, Pollini plays with a consummate understanding of the work's architecture, and his sheer coordination, dexterity and technical superiority is apparent throughout. Abbado's accompaniment is...

I agree with the previous reviewer. This is one of the finest sixth symphony recordings. Hurwitz considers Abbado tepid here, but I feel he is wrong. I know this a minority opinion, but I believe the first set of Beethoven Symphonies by Abbado far superior to the latest ones, which are too perky....tempi too quick. Beethoven needs space and time to let his harmonic waves wash over you. Only Bruno Walter and Abbado, to my ear, have understood his internal tempi as related to his harmonic rhythm.(If you don't know what 'harmonic rhythm' is, look it up, there's nothing more important as regards to the right tempo of great music performance than this!)In any case, the sixth is the place for spaciousness and good intonation due to it's innovation in stretching of phrases and repetition of motives. The Vienna Orchestra members have lived with Beethoven for their entire lives. To some thismeans they are "asleep at the wheel". But in the right hands they can...

Regarding Beethoven's symphonies, of course the 5th and the 3rd are exceptional; the 7th, 8th, and 4th all have their charms; needless to say, the 9th is certainly one of the greatest works of human civilization; and ultimately, I urge that the 6th immediately follows the 9th in aesthetic excellence: idea and expression have rarely been more finely synthesized.Abbado's leisurely reading of the 6th is delightfully bucolic; more akin to Bohm's noble stride than to Karajan's brisk romp--and after all, nobody could exceed Gould's 20 min. ecstasis at the "Scene by the Brook."This is an immensely pleasing disc with the Choral Fantasy and Beethoven's late choral piece "Becalmed Sea and Prosperous Arrival." Moreover, the frisson of aesthetic pleasure is intensified by the stunning visuals from Klimt's Beethoven Frieze: damn!--that's fine art: extraordinary art nouveau from fin de siecle Wien: what taste!: what style!: what an illustration of the best of which...