Sym No.9 in d, Op.125: 1. Allegro Ma Non Troppo, Un Poco Maestoso
Sym No.9 in d, Op.125: 2. Molto Vivace
Sym No.9 in d, Op.125: 3. Adagio Molto E Cantabile
Sym No.9 in d, Op.125: 4. Presto - Recitativo: 'O Freunde, Nicht Diese Tone!' - Allegro Assai
This welcome reissue of an early stereo Westminster recording will please nostalgic collectors and help introduce new ones to Pierre Monteux's art. Largely restricted to French repertoire by the labels he recorded for, he ... more »was also a stellar conductor of the German repertory, especially the music of Beethoven and Brahms. The Beethoven 9th was made when Monteux was 87, but there's no hint of old age in this vigorous interpretation, full of energy and forward motion. Fluidity was a hallmark of Monteux's style, along with other virtues amply exhibited here, such as transparent textures and generous inner voices (he started his career as a violist). The slow movement is never swollen or turgid, always flowing and beautifully phrased. Jon Vickers makes more of the tenor solo in the fourth movement than anyone else I've heard in the part, but the movement does bog down in its bumpy choral phrasing. All in all, a Ninth worth hearing. --Dan Davis« less
This welcome reissue of an early stereo Westminster recording will please nostalgic collectors and help introduce new ones to Pierre Monteux's art. Largely restricted to French repertoire by the labels he recorded for, he was also a stellar conductor of the German repertory, especially the music of Beethoven and Brahms. The Beethoven 9th was made when Monteux was 87, but there's no hint of old age in this vigorous interpretation, full of energy and forward motion. Fluidity was a hallmark of Monteux's style, along with other virtues amply exhibited here, such as transparent textures and generous inner voices (he started his career as a violist). The slow movement is never swollen or turgid, always flowing and beautifully phrased. Jon Vickers makes more of the tenor solo in the fourth movement than anyone else I've heard in the part, but the movement does bog down in its bumpy choral phrasing. All in all, a Ninth worth hearing. --Dan Davis
CD Reviews
Great but old recording
Mr JB | Karlskrona Sweden | 11/06/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This is one of the first stereo recordings of Beethovens lovely ninth symphony. With a french conductor having a go on one of the greatest german romantic works. Could this really be even close to competetive today? Well, the answer is definately Yes!
Monteux brings forth what many other conductors misses, and that is the lyrical values of the music, and it's charm - without ever sacrificing the power a performance of Beethoven's Ninth calls for. For example, both the first and second movement are very forte and almost hard in articulation - clearly made as an argument for the famous forth movement with its refusal of the three earlier movents themes in the double bass, and the bass soloist's first lines: o freunde, nicht dieser tönen... The performance never gets boring, it lives fully through every bar, floating. The tempis are rather high at times, but it never sounds wrong. Theb third movement at a almost modern time-period pace. Still offering repose, though. The only time the tempis bother me the least is in the fourth movement, where perhaps Monteux has to audible changes of tempi between the different part of the movement, so that the first minutes the chorus sings is rather slow and one wonders if a ode to joy really can be that slow, just to more or less take off a few minutes later. I rather prefer a more consistent or at least smoother tempo-changed style here, but, the effect is more obvious this way. Monteux's soloists are simply great, and heldentenor Jon Vickers outstandingly so. The first of them to introduce himself is the firm, powerful and warm bass of David Ward. He's followed by the perfectly idiomatic and fruity voices of Söderström and Resnik. Jon Vickers' drum & fife solopart is so excitingly sung that one almost thinks that the part could have been written just for him. The London Symphony orchestra responds well to their inspired conductor. Today it's hard to find such a personal reading, and after all, personal readings are much more interesting than those trying not to intimidate anyone.
Surely, the sound is not as clear as on today's digital recordings, but still dynamic, and good for being 40 years old. You may try to turn the treble knob up on your amplifier to get a brighter sound picture. Another backdraw is that the chorus is put a little backwards in the recording, thus sounding a little heavy. But those objections are minor ones, and since this performance has both the nerve, precision and great soloists that many modern recordings doesn't, it's still highly competitive and highly recommended."
When You're Tired of Being Blitzed
Mike Simonsen | San Francisco, CA | 05/22/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Beethoven's 9th can bring out the bully in most conductors. Monteux here provides a great second version to supplement your fiery first choice, for those occasions when you want to hear the music without getting your hair blown straight back in the Maxell easy chair.
The Monteux performance is clear-eyed, warm-hearted, open in texture and energetic without being strenuous. Where Beethoven himself threatens to get incoherent in the last movement is exactly where Monteux strives for maximum control. This is not wandering, it is trying to keep a wayward symphony from going off the rails.
It is not a small-scaled performance, like Monteux's pupil David Zinman's. The orchestra and chorus both are ample, if a little overshadowed by the operatic-sized quartet of soloists, three of the four noted Wagnerians. They function in the key of LOUD, even if the rest of the forces refuse to follow them to quite that level of amplitude.
The engineering votes for clarity rather than weight, and Monteux brings out gratifying details that surprise the most experienced listener.
So get your molten lava version of the 9th first, then buy this one as a great corrective, er, supplement."
The ninth at its best
Andrew R. Weiss | 08/12/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Definitely one of the better recordings of Beethoven's masterpiece. Along with Leonard Bernstein's, one of my favorite recordings"
Somewhat slimmed down Beethoven
Jeffrey Lee | Asheville area, NC USA | 09/27/2005
(3 out of 5 stars)
"I come away from this performance wanting more in terms of weight and intensity. Though there are moments, especially in the first and second movements, where Monteux's lower calorie approach is rather appealing, on the whole I am left feeling less than fully satisfied. For the Beethoven Ninth, an appetizer just isn't enough. Particularly in the last movement, both soloists and orchestra sound undercharacterized. The presentation of some of the choral sections occasionally bogs down in deliberateness and routineness. The sense of large scale, impressive drive and a truly moving quality is just not there. In fact, throughout the entire recording an impression of real spaciousness is missing, though there are moments where some of the more intimate details are nicely offered. In the third movement adagio, there seems to be some herky-jerkiness in the expression of detail. But it is primarily the last movement (as noted above) that disappoints. (Listen, by contrast, to Reiner's uplifting and hair raising Chicago Symphony finale.) In all, a mixed bag, of sorts, and not an especially distinguished or fulfilling account from a typically esteemed conductor."
Track Listings (4) - Disc #1