Search - Ludwig van Beethoven, Rafael Kubelik, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra :: Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 5

An outstanding live Fourth and very good Fifth

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 08/22/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Yet another totally ignored Kubelik CD from the rich legacy of live performances issued on Audite. All date from Kubelik's heyday as conductor of the Bavarian Radio Sym. Orch. thirty years ago, and in general the sonics have been full, fresh, and clear. I've never been completely persuaded that Kubelik was great at Beethoven, but he has a handful of outstanding performances, such as a riveting live Missa Solemnis on Orfeo. By temperament he's a traditionalist yet with a refeshingly unpompous view of Beethoven, in the vein of Pierre Monteux. One turns to Kubelik when the weighty, important Beethoven of Karajan and Furtwangler feels too exhausting. And unlike the foursquare Karl Bohm, Kubelik gives us genial, flexibly phrased Beethoven when called for.



As it certainly is called for in the Fourth Sym. This reading offers no exceptional points of interest, but its relaxed, smiling style is very welcome. Kubelik's songful approach to the second movement caught my attention. He rounds off the edges of the Scherzo, which some may find too soft-grained. Carlos Kleiber made a big impression by taking the finale at a ahir-raising clip; Kubelik prefersmoderation, and he gets the rhythms to dance as a result. I think this Fourth ranks among his best efforts in Beethoven, along with a similar Second Sym., also on Audite.



Would he try the same tactic and amble through the Fifth Sym. -- a disatrous course if ever there was one? The answer is yes and no. The first movement doesn't slash and electrify the way Kleiber's and Toscanini's do, yet it does move along with steady strength and committed playing from the Bavarian musicians. The Andante con moto is fairly expansive, aided by a roomy, echoy acoustic. Phrasing is sensitive, but I longed for a bit more momentum. After a traditional and effective Scherzo, the finale's C major sunbrust is handled with robust energy. Kubelik's reading isn't marked by original ideas, but clearly that's not his intent. Given all the great Fifths from other sources, this version is fine without being exceptional. I'd place it on a par with Giulini's Beethoven, another traditionalist who could put a personal stamp on very well-known classics.



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