{"product_id":"furtwangler-conducts-beethoven-symphonies-6-and-8-195253-pasc359","title":"FURTWÄNGLER conducts Beethoven Symphonies 6 and 8 (1952\/53) - PASC359","description":"overviewfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eBEETHOVEN \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eSymphony No. 6\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eBEETHOVEN \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eSymphony No. 8\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003eRecorded in 1952 and 1953\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003eTotal duration: 70:12\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"bodysmallarial\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eVienna Philharmonic Orchestra\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eBerlin Philharmonic Orchestra \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003econductor \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eWilhelm Furtwängler\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_titlefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fFanfare Review578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_quotefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f“I’m speechless.” That was my reaction the first time I heard the present CD578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_bodyfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eRecently I watched Fellini’s \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESi\"\u003e8 1\/2 \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003ewith\na friend who never had seen it before. Her reaction when it was over\nwas, “I’m speechless.” That was my reaction the first time I heard the\npresent CD. Now a critic who is speechless would be of little use to his\nreaders, so I have listened to this CD several more times and attempted\nto gather my thoughts. What’s foremost in my mind is that Furtwängler,\nmore than any other conductor in my experience, conveys the epic nature\nof Beethoven. By epic I do not mean monumental, which so easily can be\nconfused with grandiose—as sometimes occurs in the Beethoven\nperformances of Klemperer and Bernstein. No, Furtwängler’s Beethoven is\nepic in the way that it tells a story, notably a story that illuminates\nthe entire culture it comes from. For Furtwängler, Beethoven essentially\nis a lyric composer, and he conveys this quality in his interpretations\nthrough beauty of phrasing and of orchestral sonority. The epic quality\nexists in performances as widely divergent as Furtwängler’s 1944 and\n1952 Vienna versions of the “Eroica.” In the recordings on the present\nCD, Andrew Rose’s superb remasterings contribute immeasurably to our\nappreciation of the distinctive sound Furtwängler got from Beethoven.\nThis sound is not manicured like with Karajan but rather soulful and\nmajestic. In Furtwängler’s hands Beethoven becomes the Homer of\ncomposers, a truly epic poet. \u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eWith the “Awakening of cheerful feelings” that\nbegins the “Pastoral,” Furtwängler focuses notably on “awakening.” I’m\nreminded of the same sensation in the first movement of Mahler’s First\nSymphony. Furtwängler’s tempo here is measured and thoughtful, not\nbubbly. This is not just anybody entering the countryside, but Beethoven\nhimself. A deep thinking personality is suggested by richness in the\nlower strings, horns, and first clarinet (is it Alfred Boskovsky?). In\nthe second movement, one can imagine the composer lying on the ground by\na brook. Furtwängler’s tone-painting is especially subtle, with\ngorgeous playing from the Vienna principals. Luscious string sound\nconveys the deep green of the countryside. The winds and horns in the\nnext movement suggest that the “country folk” may have brought their own\ninstruments to their “gathering.” Furtwängler’s conducting here reminds\nme of certain moments in his performance of Weber’s \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESi\"\u003eDer Freischütz\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003e.\nThe thunderstorm has elements of light and shadow as in a Gainsborough\nlandscape. There is a solitariness and a tension for the bridge passage\nto the last movement. Then, all nature seems to celebrate, as\nFurtwängler adopts a relatively quick tempo in the final movement. The\noverwhelming sense of joy prefigures the finale of the Ninth Symphony. \u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eFor Furtwängler’s Eighth, we are in Berlin. Klaus\nTennstedt claimed that the Berlin Philharmonic was not a great orchestra\nuntil Karajan took over. I guess that all depends on what one means by\ngreat. If the ability to convey musical truth is what matters, then\nFurtwängler’s Berliners were one of the greatest orchestras ever. In the\nfirst movement of the Eighth Symphony, the orchestral sound is like a\nliving organism, out of which the thematic material asserts itself. The\ntumult is celestial, like the birth of a galaxy. The metronome joke in\nthe next movement is an occasion for gentle humor, with a few guffaws.\nFurtwängler’s moderate tempo here recalls the slow movement of Haydn’s\n“Clock” Symphony, with its own tick-tocking joke. The next movement’s\nminuet manages to be broad and delicate at the same time. The horns and\nclarinet engage in playing of almost superhuman delicacy in the trio.\nThe last movement offers beauty with clarity. The music constitutes a\ndialogue that prefigures the late quartets. \u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"Br\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eIf you are looking for stereo CDs of these works,\nthe ones I listen to the most are by George Szell and the Cleveland\nOrchestra, and Rudolf Kempe and the Munich Philharmonic in the\n“Pastoral,” while for the Eighth I like Wolfgang Sawallisch and the\nRoyal Concertgebouw, and Roger Norrington and the Stuttgart Radio\nSymphony. The Norrington offers historically informed performance\npractice with a vengeance. It’s important to remember that H.I.P.\nrepresents a historical artifact of today’s place and time as much as\nFurtwängler’s Eighth was of its time in 1953. I believe we lose a lot\nmusically if we turn H.I.P. into an absolute ideal. One would have to be\na hard hearted ideologue to dismiss Furtwängler’s performances on this\nCD because of vibrato in the strings and failure to adhere to\nBeethoven’s metronome markings. As Stravinsky said to Colin Davis, a\nmetronome marking is just a beginning. I’m confident that Furtwängler’s\nBeethoven, particularly in these marvelous remasterings by Andrew Rose,\nwill be a part of our high culture for a long time to come. This is a\ngreat conductor at his peak. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"Br\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESb\"\u003eDave Saemann \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis article originally appeared in Issue 36:4 (Mar\/Apr 2013) of Fanfare Magazine.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9main_samplefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fsamples\/PASC359.mp3578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fProducer's Note578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcontent578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp class=\"bodybig\" align=\"center\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 24px;\"\u003eFurtwängler's finest recordings of Beethoven's 6th and 8th Symphonies\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"bodymid\" align=\"center\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eThese XR-remastered issues bring a new sound quality to match the brilliance of the performances\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"body\"\u003eJohn Ardoin lists seven Furtwängler recordings of\nBeethoven's Sixth and three recordings of the Eighth Symphony in his\ndiscography, and though it appears that a fourth, partial 1932 recording\nof No. 8 exists, he is most insistent that the present, 1953 Berlin\nrecording easily trumps the rest. Here the full benefits of XR\nremastering can be heard, with dramatic improvements in sound quality,\norchestral tone and texture immediately apparent to the listener used to\nthe previous boxy and constricted acoustic of earlier issues. This\nissue is also considerably brighter in tone, a result of the careful\nanalysis of remnants of electrical hum in the original recording,\npointing to a far sharper tuning than the \"standard\" orchestral 440Hz -\nthe 453Hz tuning of the orchestra is however not unusual for\nFurtwängler.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"body\"\u003eIt's no great surprise to find less room for improvement\nover EMI's \"studio\" recording of the 6th Symphony, yet this too yeilded\nfar greater tonal colour than the original might lead one to believe,\nand the XR remastering of this recording does seem to have injected a\ndegree of life into it that Ardoin found lacking when comparing it to\ncontemporary live performances. Once again I found that the original\npitching was sharper than concert standard - EMI have it at around 446Hz\nthough my own measurements suggested 451Hz was closer to the\norchestra's actual tuning. In both recordings I've been able to minimise\nthe use of additional noise reduction processing to keep as open and\nglorious a sound as possible.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"body\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eAndrew Rose\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fFull Track Listing578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5ftrack_listing578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"bodybigblue\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBEETHOVEN\u003c\/strong\u003e Symphony No. 6 in F, \"Pastorale\", Op. 68 \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan class=\"bodymidarial\"\u003eRecorded 24-25 November \u0026amp; 1 December 1952\u003cbr\u003eGroßer Saal, Musikverein, Vienna\u003cbr\u003eTransfer from HMV ALP 1041\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"body\"\u003eVienna Philharmonic\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"body\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e Orchestra\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"bodybigblue\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBEETHOVEN\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003eSymphony No. 8 in F, Op. 93 \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"bodymidarial\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003elive at Titania-Palast, Berlin\u003cbr\u003eTransfer from Cetra FE 4\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"body\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBerlin Philharmonic Orchestra\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWilhelm Furtwängler\u003c\/strong\u003e conductor\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eXR remastering by Andrew Rose at Pristine Audio, October 2012\u003cbr\u003eCover artwork based on a photograph of Wilhelm Furtwängler\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTotal duration: 70:12\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fCover Art578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcover_art578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcovers\/thumbs\/PASC359.jpg578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcovers\/PASC359.pdf578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fAdditional Notes578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcontent578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFurtwängler's Beethoven Symphonies 6 \u0026amp; 8\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"In Furtwängler's hands, the Pastoral became remarkably expressive clay, to which he brought a plasticity vouchsafed no other conductor. There is a clarity to his performances (including the few prosaic ones) in which every note speaks. Even while weathering the storm of the fourth movement, Furtwängler's performance conveys a feeling of chamber rather than symphonic music and always implants a sense of serenity and well-being. Textures are transparent, bowings are light and subtle, and dynamics are carefully monitored. A fortissimo here is not the same as one in the other symphonies, the Third or Fifth, for example; it is more a matter of weight than decibels, with accents more a surge than a sharp delineation. It is only with the third-movement scherzo that the music grows in girth and momentum, as clouds start to gather at the end of the movement.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"The Eighth Symphony, both in actuality and in Furtwängler's approach, continues much in the spirit of the Sixth, though the music is (like the performances) more concentrated in a temporal and formal sense. But the same outpouring of well-being permeates both. In the three performances available, Furtwängler opens with a grand gesture, a musical embrace that attempts to reach out and gather in everyone and everything. It is like a shout of joy at being alive. There is an abundance of the brio Beethoven asks for, and a true vivace, in the sense of a vivacious, living organism.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Furtwängler Record, John Ardoin\u003c\/b\u003e - excerpts: p.133 (Symphony 6) \u0026amp; p.137 (Symphony 8) (Amadeus Press, 1994)\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab4_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f","brand":"Pristine Classical","offers":[{"title":"Ambient Stereo 24-bit FLAC","offer_id":49302778151131,"sku":"nue1789299857041","price":13.36,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Ambient Stereo 16-bit FLAC","offer_id":49302778183899,"sku":"cep1789299857042","price":9.57,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"320kbps Ambient Stereo MP3","offer_id":49302778216667,"sku":"pro1789299857043","price":6.37,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0762\/4432\/0475\/files\/furtwangler-conducts-beethoven-symphonies-6-and-8-195253---pasc359_1.jpg?v=1789299863","url":"https:\/\/www.openporchmarket.shop\/products\/furtwangler-conducts-beethoven-symphonies-6-and-8-195253-pasc359","provider":"My Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}