My listening post this morning is a Bob Evans Restaurant.
In Fort Wayne, Indiana.
I figured a change of pace would do me good.
Not really. I’m here on business.
So here I sit, eating a Homestead breakfast (love the sausage gravy and biscuits!), being waited on by a very nice lady named Antonia who has a movie-star smile and an engaging, charismatic personality. Plus, her other job is working in a rescue shelter for pit bulls. So we got to talking about that subject, too. She’s super nice and super sharp.
I discovered Fort Wayne doesn’t seem to have as many restaurants with Wi-Fi as Grand Rapids does.
Also, I discovered that FW (as it’s usually abbreviated in URLs) is big on Christian Talk Radio, boasting a major network called Bott Radio Network that covers a large portion of the Midwest (over 100 stations from Arkansas to Wyoming) on which one can hear sermons and parenting programs and local commercials read by the owners of the businesses themselves.
As if that weren’t enough, I saw a billboard for a financial institution called Bippus State Bank.
Seriously?
What’s a Bippus?
Anyway, I enjoy visiting other cities, especially smaller ones. Give me a small town any day. I’ll find the favorite local breakfast hang outs, the chattiest people, and the coolest watering holes before you can say “hayseed.”
So, today I’m enjoying down-home Bob Evans food along with the fine folks who serve it while I listen to Belgian-born French conductor Andre Cluytens (1905-1967) as he conducts the Orchestre Philharmonique De Berlin.
The music is, of course, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4 in B flat Major.
I first encountered Maestro Cluytens on…
Day 6. Rating: “Huzzah!”
Day 24. Rating: “Meh!”
Day 42. Rating: “Meh!”
So, Maestro Cluytens is 2/3 “Meh!” with me.
Let’s see what today brings.
Beethoven wrote his symphonies in four parts (except for the Sixth, which is in five). The time breakdown of this particular one (Symphony No. 4 in B flat Major), from this particular conductor (Cluytens, at age 52-55) and this particular orchestra (Orchestre Philharmonique De Berlin), at this particular time in history (1957-1960) on this particular record label (Parlophone/Warner Music France) is as follows:
I. Adagio – Allegro vivace…………………………………………………………………10:16
II. Adagio………………………………………………………………………………………….9:56
III. Allegro molto e vivace – Trio. Un poco meno allegro………………..6:06
IV. Allegro ma non troppo………………………………………………………………..7:02
Total running time: 33:20
My Rating:
Recording quality: 4 (noticeable, but not debilitating tape hiss, otherwise crisp and clean)
Overall musicianship: 4
CD liner notes: 2 (everything is written in French, which is great if one is from Paris; plus, no clear indication of when these symphonies were recorded)
How does this make me feel: 5
This goes straight to the “Huzzah!” file.
It was dynamic, enthusiastic, inspired, and brisk. Quite brisk. I don’t know much about exact counts of tempo. But this seemed fast to me. And it’s running time of 33:20 makes it one of the quicker ones.
The first movement begins with the somber, mysterious tone. But then quickly jump starts and gets rocking. That transition in tone and tempo – which is critical – is noticeable.
The Scherzo rocks. The Finale rolls.
This is a very fine performance.
The liner notes are super minimal. The CD box cover and individual CD sleeves are reminiscent of some kind of Christian card (a hideous design). There’s a good deal of tape hiss audible in these 60-year-old recordings. And Cluytens is hit or miss. But when he’s “hit” he’s very good.
So far, I’ve rated him with two “Meh!” and two “Huzzah!” A 50/50 rating. That’s not bad. And, as of today’s date (September 18, 2018), the CD box set is just $16.99 on Amazon. That’s not a bad deal, even with half of the performances lackluster.
Keep in mind, these are only lackluster to my ears. It’s a very subjective thing, music is.
You might listen to these “lackluster” performances and flip out. Jump for joy. Think they’re the greatest things since the Homestead breakfast at Bob Evans.
So take what I’m posting with a grain of salt.