Ludwig van Beethoven: The Complete Symphonies [Simona Saturova; Mihoko Fujimura; Christian Elsner; Christian Gerhaher; Laureate] [Accentus Music: ACC80322]

Holland based recording company Brilliant Classics recently reissued the set of Beethoven Symphonies recorded in studio conditions by Herbert Blomstedt and the Dresden Staatskapelle in the mid to late 1970s, and originally available on EMI.This new set could scarcely be more different! Recorded live between 2014 to early 2017 by MDR for Accentus, the set is released to celebrate Blomstedt’s 90th birthday, and his over 65 years as a working conductor, and though I hate the use of the phrase “ the journey” in modern parlance, this new set illustrates the journey that the conductor has made in the company of Beethoven!Whereas the earlier set was beautiful but perhaps no better than reliable in the conservative manner-certainly not displacing the likes of Karajan, Cluytens and Klemperer in their respective overviews of these great symphonies- for me this new set becomes THE modern set to have-the merits of Chailly, Jansons and Thielemann notwithstanding, and eclipsing totally the recent Rattle BPO set.We find Blomstedt approaching his 90th year with no diminution of faculties or technical abilities. For this cycle he has distilled his experiences with Beethoven into a clearly defined approach-not shackled by the dogma of HIP but as a result of his own conviction that the Wagnerian/Weingartner approach to the sonorities of Beethoven was misguided, and that the Mendelssohn approach of a less rich palate and a more fleeting and ethereal attack was the correct one.Thus Blomstedt now uses the Barenreiter Verlag Edition edited by Jonathan Del Mar in place of the Peters, but has taken this further by making further emendations based on his conducting the works in Vienna from the original orchestral parts.He also argues in the extensive essay included in the beautifully produced booklet that –wait for it-Beethoven’s notorious metronome markings should be adhered to, or as near as possible when this proves physically impossible!This approach is at the opposite extreme from that of Thielemann-whose VPO I set I love-and on the face of it could result in breathless performances that miss the heart of the argument.I always think of Blomstedt as an austere, serious individual not given to frivolity-perhaps his adherence to the Seventh Day Adventist faith has something to do with this-and the front cover of the box set which is a full face portrait of the gnarled veteran only reinforces this impression-but watching him conduct on the Digital Concert Hall and the illustrations in the booklet confound this impression-as does the exalted music making on this set for the overriding impression is of a shared joy between conductor, orchestra and listener as the exuberance of the interpretations, the sheer beauty and sonority of the playing (modern instruments set out in the “German “ setting-divided first and second violins) breathes new life into the familiar works.Each symphony is imbued with energy and dynamism. The First and Second are the finest I can recall-“Papa Haydn” smiles down on these performances for sure-and from the Third onwards the voice of Beethoven is heard anew.The Fourth-which is surprisingly the most performed Beethoven Symphony -is imposing and captivating.The swift tempi throughout do not mean that shaping is eschewed-quite the opposite for some the tempo changes in the Third will raise eyebrows-and throughout there are telling nudges and pauses.Nor do the Adagios-which Wagner opined “could never be played too slowly”, lack beauty, power or gravitas despite the swifter approach. The Gewandhaus Orchestra uses “authentic” timpani in any event, struck by small hammers resulting in the authentic thwack rather the modern boom, and this adds a lightness of touch in keeping with textures.The 5th is imposing, the 6th is glorious, the Seventh dances as it should and has a dazzling finale, the Eight is witty and engaging, the 9th is powerfully dramatic with a Scherzo that does not outstay its welcome (the repeat is included) and a Finale with as fine a set of soloists as one could hope for, and a choir to match.The recording quality is beyond criticism, though it is not SACD, the booklet is exemplary and the price renders the set a bargain.Finally, this “Last of the Titans”-a conductor from a bygone era brought up in a different musical tradition- by adopting what is deemed to be a more modern approach (though Toscanini might have argued this!) has convinced me , the arch-conservative, that this approach does complete justice to the genius of Beethoven.Please be sure that this does not sound like an HIP outing-it is not that –the weight and impact of the sonority of this truly great orchestra is firmly in the best of modern sound, but combined with Blomstedt’s enlightened approach and a more accurate Edition, this set convinces me in a way that the earlier Chailly set with this orchestra did not-much though it had to commend it.It may be the Maestro's 90th Birthday-but we get the presents!! A wonderful gift indeed.THE set for the 21st Century-? I think so. Stars are irrelevant. Totally recommended. Stewart Crowe.

The Beethoven set arrived in a grey enclosed cardboard slip case which houses the 5 CD's and accompanying booklet. The CD's are in cardboard slip cases with a flap which states 1&2. 3&4 etc on the front. The inside reveals the movements and timings for each symphony. Eachsymphony is in chronological order i.e. 1-9 and are not mixed up like 5 & 7. Nice detailed booklet which reveals information about the recordings and details about the symphonies, there are a number of photo - shots of the orchestra and conductor..I was intrigued by the set for a few reasons as outlined below:1. A brand new set of Beethoven symphonies recently recorded.2. The orchestra is well known3 The conductor has been around a long time and has a long history of recording / conducting4. Herbert Blomstedt has just turned 90 recently5. An older person's view of the Beethoven symphonies.6. Recent recording quality recordings7. Reasonably priced and available8. The CD's are placed on the CD's in chronological number order9. They are live, so are real recordings in the moment and are truthful/honest interpretations not recorded in the studio for CD.My observations/opinions on the seta] There is no audible audience noise at the start or end, no applause and the audience is pretty quite throughout so there are no distractions.b] Very good engineered recordingsc] The Beethoven symphonies are very well played by the Gewandhaus Orchestrad] The Beethoven symphonies are played straight. free of quirks or mannerisms. It appears to be a straight line classical interpretations. You could call them plain, but they are not boring performances either. I was nicely impressed with the recordings.e] The Orchestra perform with enthusiasm and energy with vibrancy and nice pulse though out the whole set.ConclusionA nice straight middle or the road interpretations of the Beethoven Symphonies performed in a classical and intelligent manner, nicely played, good pulse of beat with forward momentum, with a very good engineered recordings. There are no revelations in the set but if your looking for a 'good' classic Beethoven set of Symphonies I would certainly consider this one. I am very pleased to have listened to this set and will be playing the whole set again shortly.

I won't repeat detail that Stewart Crowe gives in his comprehensive review of Herbert Blomstedt's 2014-17 traversal of the Beethoven Symphonies. I also have numerous sets of the symphonies including three by Karajan, Cluytens, Klemperer, Haitink (LSO), Wand, Abbado and the filmed Simon Rattle set in Berlin. I probably wouldn't have thought about this set if I hadn't heard Herbert Blomstedt's fine live reading of the Pastoral recently with the Philharmonia. For a Beethoven set using the latest scholarship of Jonathan Del Mar's editions, Blomstedt's lifetime of conducting these works, his own research in Vienna, and what seems to me a very satisfying recorded sound, this has impressed to become my current go-to CD set. I wouldn't hesitate to absolutely recommend it.

When you Heard THIS MUSIC and DIRECTORS you UNDERSTAND waht the time could to give you.I seriously and highly recomended someone of the Blu Ray dics of this too, to UNDERSTAND THE GREATNESS.SIMPLE PERFFECT.A genious playing THE BES of all of them.OF ALL TIMES, FOR EVER.

This recording is wonderful. The tempi are perfect. Such dynamics. Almost youthful but with the musical insight worthy of his experience. If you need a pick me up this is the CD set you want.