Classical Editor: Rob Barnett                               Founder Len Mullenger: Len@musicweb-international.com


BEETHOVEN:
Symphony No 3 in E Flat major, Op. 55 'Eroica'
Staatskapelle Dresden/Franz Konwitschny
Recorded in 1954
BERLIN CLASSICS 0090412BC [52.08]

Berlin Classics are distributed in the UK by
The Complete Record Company Ltd
22 Prescott Place, London SW4 6BT
Tel +44 (0)20 7498 9666 fax +44 (0)20 7498 1828

Franz Konwitschny may have been eclipsed by other great Beethoven interpreters of the mid last century (his Leipzig cycle of the 1950s/1960s has never quite been given the attention it deserves) but returning to this 1954 Eroica with the great Dresden orchestra has been a revelatory experience. This is an extremely fine Eroica and one that can sit in only the most distinguished company.

This is a slow performance (made slower by the first movement exposition repeat) but it nevertheless has a towering strength and nobility so characteristic of performances preserved on record by Klemperer and Furtwängler. It is a performance fully idiomatic of its period, particularly in this conductor's use of rubato which in the second movement funeral march comes dangerously close to bringing the performance to a standstill. One can also criticise the tempi Konwitschny brings to the scherzo - certainly more languid than we are used to with exaggerated lines and heavy textures adding to a density of expressiveness. Furtwängler (Vienna 1944) is even slower than Konwitschny in this movement but the difference is entirely in the intensity the former brings to this movement's development: where Konwitschny's scherzo is heavy Furtwängler's pulsates with energy, perhaps being more Haydnesque than Beethoven intended.

These are minor criticisms in a performance that scales dramatic heights - listen to the recapitulation in the first movement. How Konwitschny gets the orchestra to phrase the ascending bass notes in the opening of the funeral march (and how the mournfulness of the trio is characterised), and how he gets superlative articulation in the fugue of the finale! These are all notable achievements in an Eroica that places nobility to the forefront. Add to this playing of precision and intensity (the Dresden orchestra are certainly a better orchestra than the Leipzig orchestra Konwitschny used for his complete cycle) and the end result is an Eroica that demands to be heard. Although recorded in 1954, the recording is very fine. Hearing this performance through headphones brought the separation of woodwind lines and string syncopations into instant clarity and focus. If the sound is rather on the bass heavy side it more than equals the majesty of the conception. It remains a fine performance.

Marc Bridle

ORDERING AND ENQUIRIES:-

Edel

Berlin Classics - Edel products cannot yet be ordered directly from the website.
Enquiries can be addressed to Edel affiliates in UK and USA:

edel UK ltd.
12, Oval Road
NW1 7DH London
phone: 0044 207 48 24 848
fax: 0044 207 48 24 846

edel America Records, Inc.
1790 Broadway, 7th Floor
New York, NY 10019
phone: 001 212 5419700
fax: 001 212 6648391


Return to Index

Reviews from previous months
We welcome feedback on our reviews. Please use the Bulletin Board.  Please paste in the first line of your comments the URL of the review to which you refer.This is the only part of MusicWeb for which you will have to register.


You can purchase CDs, tickets and musician's accessories and Save around 22% with these retailers: