Search - Beethoven, Josef Krips, London Symphony Orchestra :: Beethoven: The Nine Symphonies (Tin Can)

Krips' Beethoven cycle in a tin box

L. Johan Modée | Earth | 06/06/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Josef Krips' cycle with the Beethoven symphonies - recorded by Everest in 1960 - has now appeared in at least three or four incarnations. This is the latest one. Previous editions have appeared from the Everest, Sonia and Bescol labels.



The present edition is released by Madacy, a Canadian company, and it is - quite weirdly - presented in a tin box with Beethoven's name and picture in relief. It looks like something you put cigars or cookies in, and it's too big for most ordinary CD shelves. But inside this tin box, luckily, there is a folded CD paper-plastic package with five CDs, which has normal CD package size (it's also thinner than the fat Bescol edition, which is a plus).



This is a classic cycle which all Beethoven collectors should have. As in the case of Krips' excellent Mozart and Schubert recordings, we get a very balanced and aristocratic old school interpretation, with clear contributions from the brass department. Standouts are the first, third, fifth, and seventh symphonies.



The orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, plays well, and the sound from the present CD incarnation is, if not great, acceptable. At least, it is far better than the sound that Bescol provided, which was just terrible (I have not heard the Everest and Sonia editions). A problem, however, is that the db level is generally quite low but occasionally gets somewhat higher. Strangely, however, there is not a word about remastering or any other technical fact in the booklet or anywhere else. The booklet is also silent about Krips and his cycle. Instead it gives you an essay (its author is not mentioned) about Beethoven's life.



Despite the sound problem, which is not at all as alarming as Bescol's edition, I can recommend this bargain set. But one wonders when Krips' fine cycle will appear in a decent remastering and informative edition. Perhaps this is a task for Naxos and Mark Obert-Thorn?



* * * Added comment on the technical issue, June 20, 2008 * * *:



After writing this review, I received this email from the remastering engineer, Lutz Rippe:



"I was reading your review with interest as I was the remastering engineer for the reissue.



Our company, Countdown Media, is a 100% daughter of Madacy Entertainment and I was doing the remasterings in our studio in Hamburg using the original 35mm 3-track master tapes, which are now owned by Madacy.



My task here was not very easy due to the physical condition of the tapes and the complete lacking of any techncial information about the recordings, especially on the correct playback equalization. In spite of these problems I tried to do the job as good as possible especially because I knew about the historical value of these recordings.



Although I like the full sound from the 35mm tapes on the published CD's a lot I was not completely satisfied with the finished product. That is why I made another sonically improved version with more brilliance in the high frequencies. In comparison to this version the first version sounds a bit dull. I have sent this new version to Madacy, too, and suggested to replace the first version if there will be another issue of the CD's.



I don't think this has already been made, so you have probably listened to the first version. [...]



While I could follow your opinion on the sound of the recordings I do not quite understand your criticism on the loudness. What do you mean exactly? Do you mean that the average loudness is not consistent over the 9 symphonies?



BTW, you were wondering why there were no further technical infos on the CD's about remastering and no further information about this special cycle. Madacy is mainly selling products on the budget market and in this case it is probably of minor importance to them who is the performer or if the recordings have any historical value. They just searched in their backup catalogue and thought this would be a good product for their tin boxes. The special interest in the quality of these recordings is just my private game.



Madacy has released a whole bunch of box sets in tin boxes and they sell incredibley well (mainly in the USA in big stores like WalMart etc). The Beethoven CD's e.g. are permanentely present in the Budget Classical Billboard charts since over 30 weeks now, currently ranging on 3rd position."

"

A Long Quest Fulfilled

Larry Lapidus | Spokane, WA United States | 04/07/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I attended UC Berkeley at a time when Josef Krips was conductor of the San Francisco Symphony Orch. I enjoyed Krips' conducting very much, and so sought out his recordings of the Nine Symphonies with the LSO on Everest. This recording was promoted as having exceptionally fine sound, thanks to Everest's use of 35mm film as the recording medium, a technique also employed by Mercury at this time, with stunning effect. Imagine my disappointment, however, when I found that the recordings had been mastered at a ridiculously low level, and then pressed on low-grade vinyl, making it impossible to hear the music above the roar of the surface noise, or to gain any idea of Krips' intended expression. That was in 1963. Ever since, I have harbored the hope of hearing these performances as the original engineers, and Krips himself, intended. I bought, and soon discarded, reissues of the set on several labels, both on LP and CD. At last my quest came to an end, when I stumbled upon the absurd candy-box offered by Mendacy, containing beautifully remastered versions of the entire set. Buyers should be prepared to hear a musician imbued with (God forbid!) a true, well-defined sense of style, rather than a skill for producing well-drilled, but anonymous readings (e.g. Abbado, Karajan, Muti, Haitink, et al). These recordings may not suit everyone's taste, but at least they *have* taste; a tone of voice, a quality of attack, a feeling for pacing and dynamics that arises from a deeply absorbed and organic culture, such as one would be hard pressed to find anywhere today."

If you only have to remember one version, this one is fine

L. Mowder | North Brunswick, NJ United States | 04/17/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This recording was inexpensive enough in the 1970s that it could be given to an early adolescent just becoming intrigued with classical music. That adolescent - me - still automatically hears Krips' version in her head when someone mentions any of these symphonies.



It would still make an excellent gift to any unfamiliar listener. If he or she doesn't care for it, you haven't lost much. But if they love it, and baby-duck on these versions, they have developed a perfectly respectable aural template against which to measure all others and you have changed their life forever at a very small cost to you.



In a world where there are versions of Beethoven's complete symphonies numbering in the dozens at least, and we have the luxury of being able to compare them all in our homes, Krips could easily be the one you keep if access to all but one were to happen."