It’s been awhile (May 5, 2017) since my last musical adventure, so I’m not surprised that I totally forgot about my appointment with Ludwig this morning as my wife and I headed toward the car for Sunday donuts at Marge’s Donut Den in Wyoming, Michigan.
Half-way down the steps, I stopped short, “Shoot!” I said (and I really said “Shoot!” and not its more colloquial counterpart).
“I’m forgetting already! I have Beethoven to listen to this morning!”
I ran back upstairs, grabbed my laptop, and then we headed to Marge’s.
Marge’s Donut Den is a West Michigan institution. We visit weekly, usually on Sunday morning. Marge serves the best donuts in the the state of Michigan (for whatever that’s worth), and her well-trained staff offers the best customer service you’ll find anywhere. If you’re ever in West Michigan, pay a visit to Marge’s. You’ll thank me for it.
On to this morning’s listening fare: Daniel Barenboim and the Staatskapelle Berlin orchestra.
I’ve seen Argentine-born Daniel Barenboim (1942- ) conduct. It was Carnegie Hall, 28 January 2017 – a magical night.
On that night, in the toddlin’ town of New York, in the world-famous Carnegie Hall, Barenboim conducted the Staatskapelle Berlin orchestra in a superb interpretation of Anton Bruckner’s Eighth Symphony, my favorite in the Bruckner canon.
Here’s an account from Barenboim’s official web site.
Here’s a review of the evening from ClassicalSource.
It was because of the wonderful time I had listening to the nine Bruckner symphonies that I decided to do the same thing with Beethoven’s symphonies.
And, so, here I am.
Barenboim is sometimes criticized for playing it too safe when it comes to his interpretations. He might not be as flashy as the late Herbert von Karajan, but so what? Barenboim’s interpretations are solid, sometimes surprising, and usually quite powerful with their use of controlled dynamics.
Take Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1 in C Major, for example. (And why not? That’s the purpose of this morning’s blog, and to what I’m listening right now.)
Beethoven wrote his symphonies in four parts (except for the Sixth, which is in five). The time breakdown of this one (Symphony No. 1 in C Major), from this particular conductor (Barenboim, at age 57) and this particular orchestra (Staatskapelle Berlin), at this particular time in history (May – July 1999) on this particular record label (Warner Classics) is as follows:
I. Adagio molto………………………………………………………………………………..8:56
II. Andante cantabile con moto………………………………………………………9:06
III. Menuetto. Allegro molto e vivace……………………………………………….3:24
IV. Adagio – Allegro molto e vivace…………………………………………………5:49
Total running time: 26:35
My Rating:
Recording quality: 5 (I’ve always found that Warner Classics releases very fine recordings)
Overall musicianship: 5
CD liner notes: 5 (a nice, meaty booklet; lots of info in several languages)
How does this make me feel: 4
Overall, this is a very fine performance, slightly brisker than Abbado’s in two movements (1st and 3rd), and much longer (by nearly two minutes) in another (the 2nd).
It’s the stretched out Andante (2nd movement) that the pace retards and I find myself less interested in what’s going on. The 1st movement and the 3rd (and certainly the 4th) are all Beethoven-esque dynamic, stirring, smile-inducing. I didn’t notice how long the 2nd movement was when I listened to Abbado’s interpretation yesterday. But I notice it now in Barenboim’s hands.
If I had to choose between the two performances (Abbado’s yesterday, and Barenboim’s today), I’d have to pick Abbado’s for the dynamic tempo of it. However, the sound quality of this Warner Classics edition is rich and warm.
Bottom line: this is Daniel Barenboim and one cannot go wrong listening to anything conducted by Barenboim, especially on the Warner Classics label.