My listening perch tonight is in my recliner in the living room, with Disney’s Moana in the background, as I recover from a temperature of 101 last night that included plenty of aches and pains.
I have no idea what I had, or if I still have it. But I do know I barely slept last night, and I spent the entire day sitting in this same recliner, exhausted, waiting for my fever to break.
Oh, about Moana. That’s my wife’s pick. Not mine. If it were up to me, I’d be watching the classic horror film The Exorcist or the Irish TV series Ballykissangel or LA Confidential. But she took care of me last night, shopped today, made chili, and almost made it through the entire day before she complained I hadn’t done anything around here. After I’m gone, she’ll probably keep my ashes in an urn in the kitchen just so she can yell at me, “Do I have to do everything around here?”
So I popped in Moana, hoping it would keep her molecules happy.
I guess I’ll never know. She’s asleep in the recliner beside me.
Once I’m done listening to Belgian-born French conductor Andre Cluytens (1905-1967), Orchestre Philharmonique De Berlin (the Berlin Philharmonic), and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in C minor, I’ll pop in one of those aforementioned movies. Until then, it’s Moana and Andre Cluytens.
I encountered Maestro Cluytens four times previous to today, on…
Day 6. Rating: “Huzzah!”
Day 24. Rating: “Meh!”
Day 42. Rating: “Meh!”
Day 60. Rating: “Huzzah!”
So, Maestro Cluytens’ record is 50/50:
Two “Meh!” and two “Huzzah!” ratings.
What will today’s performance bring?
Let’s find out.
Beethoven wrote his symphonies in four parts (except for the Sixth, which is in five). The time breakdown of this particular one (Symphony No. 5 in C minor), 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. Allegro con brio (C minor)………………………………………………………8:24
II. Andante con moto (A♭ major)…………………………………………..9:51
III. Scherzo: Allegro (C minor)……………………………………………………5:29
IV. Allegro (C major)………………………………………………………………..9:03
Total running time: 32:07
My Rating:
Recording quality: 4 (noticeable, but not debilitating tape hiss, ambient noises, 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 (“Huzzah!”)
This is a quirky recording. It starts with tape hiss. There are a few strange ambient noises. And the instruments sound like they were recorded in a very large shower. Lots of reverb. A big, cavernous sound. But bright. Lots of top end.
I was ready to give this a “Meh!” rating. But I kept listening. And I listened. And I listened. When it ended, I let it play again.
I’m not a fan of second movements. They’re usually dirge-like. But in the hands of Maestro Cluytens and the Berlin Philharmonic, this one was delightful. So was my favorite movement: The Scherzo with that beguiling melody and the delightful pizzicato strings.
This is an odd recording – from the hiss to the nearly over-bright sound of the instruments to, well, I don’t know what else. As I wrote, I was prepared to dis this thing – until I got hooked by its charm.
This is a beautiful recording, with lots of passion and energy.
“Huzzah!”