My “office” this morning is a D&W grocery store with a Starbucks inside. I’m in the dining area.
A Coke machine taunts me, albeit in vain, from the opposite wall. I don’t drink soda (or pop as we call it) all that often. When I do, it doesn’t come from a machine in a grocery store dining area.
Today, I’m listening to German conductor Eugen Jochum (1902-1987) work his magic with the London Symphony Orchestra. The venue for this recording is Abbey Road Studios No. 1 in London
I first encountered Maestro Jochum on Day 9 in my Beethoven project. I awarded his performance with a “Huzzah!” rating. Also, as a reminder, I’m listening to Jochum from the Eugen Jochum: Icon- The Complete EMI Recordings box set, which includes all nine of Beethoven’s symphonies. When I bought it (at $44.51), it was about the same price as another conductor’s Beethoven symphonies, alone. So I figure it would be smart to buy a complete Jochum set of 20 CDs rather than just Jochum conducting Beethoven on nine CDs. If the price is about the same, why not?
I loved what Jochum did with Bruckner (144 Days With Bruckner And Me, 63 More Days With Bruckner And Me), and I was pleased with his work on Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1 in C Major. So, let’s see what Maestro Jochum can do with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2 in D Major.
From the tidy little career overview essay in the liner notes (written by Kenneth Woods),
The Beethoven symphonies were central to Jochum’s repertoire, and he recorded the cycle three times: In the 1950s with the Berlin Philharmonic and the Bavarian Radio Symphony, then with the Concertgebouw in the 1960s, and finally, this set with LSO in the 1970s.
Balance seems to have been a key issue in Jochum’s Beethoven, especially as heard in his final cycle.
Beethoven wrote his symphonies in four parts (except for the Sixth, which is in five). The time breakdown of this particular one (Symphony No. 2 in D Major), from this particular conductor (Jochum, at age 76) and this particular orchestra (London Symphony Orchestra), at this particular time in history (June 30 & July 1, 1978) on this particular record label (Warner Classics) is as follows:
I. Adagio molto – Allegro con brio………………………………………………………………12:55
II. Larghetto…………………………………………………………………………………………………..12:11
III. Scherezo. Allegro – Trio……………………………………………………………………………4:03
IV. Allegro molto…………………………………………………………………………………………….6:42
Total running time: 35:11
My Rating:
Recording quality: 4 (Warner Classics is known for high-quality recordings)
Overall musicianship: 5
CD liner notes: 4 (big booklet with lots of information, except for pertinent key details, and an essay about Jochum in English, German, and French)
How does this make me feel: 4 (not quite Meh, but not Huzzah! either)
I was all prepared to dig the hell out of this performance.
Alas, I did not.
I just wasn’t feeling it.
For one thing, the recording seems a little less dynamic than others I’ve heard in this series. The previous recording, for example. Day 26 with Bernard Haitink. That was a dynamic recording.
This one, with Jochum, didn’t start off with a powerful Duh-DUHHHH, that unexpected burst in Movement I. In previous performances I’ve heard, the tympani is clearly heard, a punchy addition to the orchestra, and the brass section rings out. In Jochum’s version, the tympani isn’t heard at all. And the brass is merely part of the overall sound, rather than a distinct element in it.
Whatever the reason, this recording seems subdued and lacking in dynamic range.
Even Movement III (Scherzo) and Movement IV (Allegro molto) weren’t as punchy as I like them to be. To my ears, the entire spectrum of sound seemed compressed. Not enough breathing room between the instruments.
Don’t get me wrong, this is a strong performance. I’m not suggesting there’s any fault here. It’s just not a performance I would hear again or recommend.
Your mileage may vary.