Ludwig van Beethoven Bernard Haitink London Symphony Orchestra - Beethoven Symphony No 3 Eroica Leonore Overture No 2 (5 tracks) +Album Reviews

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Ludwig van Beethoven, Bernard Haitink, London Symphony Orchestra
Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 'Eroica'; Leonore Overture No. 2
Genre: Classical

Track Listings (5) - Disc #1
1. Symphony No. 3 in E flat major ('Eroica'), Op. 55: Allegro con brio
2. Symphony No. 3 in E flat major ('Eroica'), Op. 55: Marcia funebre: Adagio assai
3. Symphony No. 3 in E flat major ('Eroica'), Op. 55: Scherzo and Trio: Allegro vivace
4. Symphony No. 3 in E flat major ('Eroica'), Op. 55: Finale: Allegro molto
5. Leonore Overture No. 2 in C major, Op. 72a

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CD Details

All Artists: Ludwig van Beethoven, Bernard Haitink, London Symphony Orchestra
Title: Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 'Eroica'; Leonore Overture No. 2
Members Wishing: 1
Total Copies: 0
Label: Lso Live UK
Original Release Date: 1/1/2006
Re-Release Date: 8/8/2006
Album Type: Import
Genre: Classical
Styles: Forms & Genres, Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music, Historical Periods, Classical (c.1770-1830), Symphonies
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 822231108023

Synopsis

Album Description

Beethoven took a massive stride forward in the development of the symphonic form with the 'Eroica'. Not only is the work written on an unprecedented scale, it also lays the very foundations of Romanticism in music.The symphony mirrors Beethoven's own emergence from despair and he used it to symbolize mankind's capacity for greatness. He initially dedicated the score to Napoleon whom embodied his view of greatness. However, when Napoleon crowned himself Emperor, Beethoven furiously removed the dedication from the score.

CD Reviews

A pleasant, prim Eroica--what is Haitink up to?

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 08/09/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"So far, Haitink's live Beethoven cycle from London has displayed touches of period style and very little passion or heroism--it's almost prim. That's certainly true of this Eroica. Never a great Beethoven conductor, Haitink still retained a great deal of vitality when I last heard him a few years ago in Bsoton. Yet the first movement here is slack and uninvolving. The touchstone movement is the funeral march, taken quickly and without any hint of grief or majesty. What is Haitink thinking?

The Scherzo is quick-paced and pleasant; Haitink doesn't dig into the phrasing, which was fatal to the funeral march, but in this movement he shows more robustness. The LSO evidences some spirit for the first time, and the recording is clear and natural. The finale is quite brisk at 11 minutes. Haitink speeds thorugh almost without pause, certainly without expressive detail--it's as if he's in a hurry to catch a cab.

I was amazed to see when the Gramophone recently picked Haitink's earlier Sym. #2 and #6 as a recording of the month. I am prepared to be amazed a second time if they go for this Eroica. Well, LSO Live is a regular advertiser."

Intriguing

David Saemann | 03/24/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"First thing to note is that the sound engineering does not have a lot of air around it. I did not enjoy listening to this CD on headphones. The experience was much better on my loudspeakers. As for the performance, it certainly is one of the best played Eroicas I've ever heard. Haitink's feel for balances and accents is exemplary. The wind playing is an absolute delight. That said, Haitink's interpretation doesn't carry the sort of emotional wallop one gets from Bernstein's 1953 version or Klemperer's first one from 1955. Haitink's is more of an epicurean Eroica, more to be savored in its infinite details than in its cumulative power. There definitely is a place for Beethoven of this stripe. It certainly demonstrates profound knowledge and skill on the part of the conductor. I just don't think it's a first choice. The Overture is good, no more, no less."