My listening post this morning is at a table, quite early in the morning, in a local franchise of the Restaurant-Chain-That-Must-Not-Be-Named.
An Asiago bagel (toasted twice) with plain cream cheese, and this establishment’s signature Light Roast coffee are poised on my left.
My trusty note pad and pen are similarly poised on my right.
Both await my next moves.
Above me plays the most inane music I’ve ever heard in my life. The channel must be called Top 40 Hipster Hits, because all the songs feature vocalists who sound like someone is squeezing their nuts at key moments to produce those brief upper-register head-voice notes that these musicians will surely regret later in their careers. I mean, come on. When you’re 23 and you’re singing in that style it’s no sweat. But when you’re 53, and performing a concert, you’re going to need back-up singers who are 23 to pull it off.
And someone to squeeze their nuts.
But I seriously doubt anyone will remember many of today’s music vocalists in 30 years. They’ll likely fade into obscurity like Wang Chung or Men At Work.
So, I do my best to avoid the nut-squeezing vocals and, instead, focus on German conductor
Franz Konwitschny (1901-1962), Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 in A major.
I have encountered Franz Konwitschny six times previous to this morning’s performance, on…
Day 13. Rating: “Huzzah!”
Day 31. Rating: “Huzzah!”
Day 49. Rating: “Huzzah!”
Day 67. Rating: “Huzzah!”
Day 84. Rating: “Huzzah!”
Day 103. Rating: “Huzzah!”
Six “Huzzah!” ratings in a row!
Can any conductor/orchestra combo be that good? Will Maestro Konwitschny’s luck hold out?
Or, will today’s performance end his streak of exceptional recordings?
I’ll soon know.
Beethoven wrote his symphonies in four parts (except for the Sixth, which is in five). The time breakdown of this particular one (Symphony No. 7 in A major), from this particular conductor (Kontwitschny, at age 58) and this particular orchestra (Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra), at this particular time in history (Recorded 1959) on this particular record label (Berlin Classics) is as follows:
I. Poco sostenuto – Vivace……………………………..15:07
II. Allegretto………………………………………………………8:45
III. Presto – Assai meno presto (trio)……………….9:54
IV. Allegro con brio…………………………………………..8:35
Total running time: 41:41
My Rating:
Recording quality: 5 (a superb recording for its age, only slight tape hiss throughout)
Overall musicianship: 5 (sounds inspired, powerful, and passionate)
CD liner notes: 5 (two essays that contain exceptional historical and technical detail by Matthias Hansen and Werner Wolf, but no timing of individual tracks – those are found on the CD sleeve)
How does this make me feel: 5 (“Huzzah!”)
Instant “Huzzah!”
This is one of the longest recordings of Beethoven’s Seventh I’ve yet encountered. The first movement, for example, is over 15 minutes long. In fact, I think every movement is longer than those of other performances I’ve heard to date.
And yet…
I can’t take my ears off this performance.
Movement I: Very long. But every second is a joy to behold and savor. For one thing, the recording is perfect. And that Call and response from 3:41-4:04 is played and/or recorded in such a way that I don’t recall ever hearing it before. Not like that, anyway. The ending is spectacular. Energy to burn.
Movement II: Appropriately somber, yet incredibly moving and compelling. Magical.
Movement III: Probably the least stellar of the four movements. Yet, that’s like saying this cold coin is slightly more tarnished than the other three. They’re all gold!
Movement IV: Energetic, muscular, grand, lively, rollicking, bold, riveting, triumphant, joyful.
Bottom line: This is perfect from start to finish. The recording is superb. The performance is off-the-charts spectacular. This could be the best performance of Beethoven’s Seventh I’ve ever heard.
You know how some people (actors, artists, musicians, bands, writers, etc.) are just so gifted that their talent is undeniable? When I am in the presence of such people, or when I watch video clips of them, I get choked up. Something inside of me is so deeply awed that I am moved to tears.
That’s how I feel about Maestro Konwitschny’s recordings. There’s something magical about them, like this cat was channeling the spirit of Ludwig himself. I don’t know what it is, but I haven’t heard a bad Konwitschny performance yet.
I can’t praise this enough.
“Huzzah!”
Double “Huzzah!”
Triple “Huzzah!”
Someone posted the entire performance on YouTube. It sounds like the person just dropped needle on his/her album and recorded the sound. It’s not perfect. It lacks top end, for example, because it’s compressed. And because it’s an old record album.
But maybe this will give you an idea why I loved Maestro Konwitschny’s performance so much.
Enjoy!