My office this morning is inside looking out.
It’s too windy to be outside. Plus, it’s been raining for two days. So it’s humid on top of that.
So, here I sit eating a bowl of Heartland cereal with rice milk on it, listening to German conductor Eugen Jochum (1902-1987) and the London Symphony Orchestra perform Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4 in B flat Major.
Life is good.
I first encountered Maestro Jochum on…
Day 9. Rating: “Huzzah!”)
Day 27. Rating: Somewhere between “Meh!” and “Huzzah!”
Day 45. Rating: “Huzzah!”
Let’s see what today brings.
First, I like this paragraph from the liner notes written by Kenneth Woods:
Jochum’s Beethoven sometimes lacks the same sense of propulsion and forward motion that critics often favourably commented on in his interpretations of Mozart and Haydn, but even if he doesn’t seem particularly concerned with Beethoven’s metronome markings, he is clearly aware of teh harmonic rhythm and phrase structure of every page, and by and large, his performances achieve a sense of momentum which belie their occasionally leisurely tempi.
Although that doesn’t seem particularly flattering of Jochum’s Beethoven, I think there’s truth to it. Jochum’s interpretations seem to run a little longer than those of other conductors.
No judgment. Just an observation.
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 (Jochum, at age 75) and this particular orchestra (London Symphony Orchestra), at this particular time in history (28 February – 1 March, 1977) on this particular record label (Warner Classics) is as follows:
I. Adagio – Allegro vivace…………………………………………………………………12:55
II. Adagio…………………………………………………………………………………………10:22
III. Allegro molto e vivace – Trio. Un poco meno allegro………………..6:23
IV. Allegro ma non troppo………………………………………………………………..7:29
Total running time: 36:19
My Rating:
Recording quality: 5 (nearly crystal clear, hardly any tape hiss; typical for Warner Classics)
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: 5 (full on Huzzah!)
I knew this was going to be “Huzzah!” from the first minute or two of Movement I.
Recordings of the London Symphony Orchestra seem to favor the strings, which are crystal clear and very impactful. Also, there’s something cavernous (in a good way) about this venue. The sound is big, befitting Beethoven and his expansive sound.
The first movement is sublime. Movement III is energetic and fun.
And the Finale is triumphant and an absolute delight.
So far, Eugen Jochum is batting nearly 1000 to my ears. Each of the four symphonies is remarkable in its own right. He must have had Leonard Bernstein’s charisma and passion. The musicians sure do seem to respond to his baton.
“Huzzah!” and highly recommended.