Search - Ludwig van Beethoven, Seiji Ozawa, Boston Symphony Orchestra :: Beethoven: Symphony No. 5; Egmont Overture

Decent 5th, But For Classic Ozawa Look Elsewhere

Michael B. Richman | Portland, Maine USA | 05/20/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I would like to consider myself a collector of Beethoven's 5th performances. I mean what better way to judge/compare/contrast the great conductors of classical music than with the greatest symphony ever written! At this point I must own nearly forty different recordings of the 5th (and have listened to at least as many more), and I have to say Ozawa's didn't do much for me. The performance isn't bad (no glaring mistakes, good digital sound), but there just wasn't anything unique, individual or otherwise exciting about it. Add the fact that this is a full-price disc, and even with the Egmont Overture, it logs in at around 45 minutes, makes it not much value for your money either. With so many classic recordings of the 5th available at mid-line or budget price (Kleiber, Szell, Ormandy to name a few), why bother with this one. If you really need to hear Ozawa that badly, get his Berg/Stravinsky Violin Concertos with Perlman, or his Liszt Piano Concertos with Zimmerman. Now those are classics!"

Powerful

D. Hath | California | 07/08/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ozawa and BSO for the 5th; It really does not get any better than this!"

An Addendum

Michael B. Richman | Portland, Maine USA | 05/17/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Well, I'm glad to see that the folks at Telarc have come to their senses and reissued Ozawa's account of Beethoven's 5th at mid-price. My review below is still accurate in terms of musical content, so instead of editing it (and losing my helpful votes) just note that this CD is no longer a full-price title. Enjoy the savings!"