Search - Ludwig van Beethoven, Colin Davis, Dresden Staatskapelle :: Beethoven: The 9 Symphonies

Very Disappointing Release

Doug - Haydn Fan | California | 06/30/2007

(1 out of 5 stars)

"This set never convinces, falling far short of expectations.

If you wish to hear the Dresden in Beethoven try one of the Kegel led performances. These are crispy led, and played with fire and conviction. They are also a great bargain.

Colin Davis and his agent should never have approved this boring indifferent production. What a blot!

Davis was much better and far more lively in his Haydn set with the Concertgebouw. Try those insread - they're very good!"

How did Davis arrive at his ideas about Beethoven?

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 07/30/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"It seemed to me that once Colin Davis deserted England to wander between Munich and Dresden, his imitaiton of a dull German kapellmeister was well nigh perfect. This set of Beethoven symphonies is so underplayed and inert that Philips hasn't even issued the symphonies separately.



Shockingly, there aren't even many individual movements that stand out. The early symphonies don't suffer as much from Davis's overall blandness--I guess you could call them clasical in style. The Pastorale is given a pleasant run-trough. But when we arrive at the revolutionary heart of Beethoven's music, Davis seems not to care--these performances never struggle or triumph.



The Ninth opens without mystery or anticipation--it's so ordinary you might as well use it for background music. The scherzo has a bit of energy but no contrast in dynamics; everything is one mellow mezzo-forte. The sublime Adagio is done with respect (this seems to be Davis's prevailing attitude toward Beethoven), and there are no surprises in the straight-faced finale. Franz Grundhaber, a famous Wozzeck, is dreadful in the bass solo, but the remaining soloists and chorus acquit themselves well enough except for the soprano's bad intonation when her art is too high for her.



In sum, there's not much to say about a Beethoven cycle from a major condcutor that has attracted no reviews here except this one since it was issued a decade ago."