My listening post this morning is New Beginnings Restaurant, an hour after it opened.
It’s empty in here because of the snow storm we had overnight. We only got about two or three inches. But it’s icy, and this is the first major winter storm of the season. So all schools are closed, and drivers are being extra cautious.
The waitress in very chatty this morning, probably because I’m her only customer.
But that’s okay. She’s extremely sharp, engaging, and attentive. Aside from the fact that my food is getting cold, and I’m not able to listen to my symphony, I’m having a great time.
Before I write another word, I’m going to let Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) tell us about Beethoven’s Eighth Symphony:
I love that guy.
I didn’t know much about Leonard Bernstein before this Beethoven project. But now that I’ve drunk the Bernstein Kool-Aid, I’m all in. I look forward to each of Maestro Bernstein’s performances.
So my expectations this morning are sky high.
By the way, I’m back home now.
The weather has turned ugly. Two days ago we had no snow. Today, we have 4-6 inches of it. And it’s still falling – hard.
So I’ll watch snow fall while I listen to Maestro Bernstein, Wiener Philharmoniker, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 8 in F major.
I’ve encountered Maestro Bernstein’s performance seven times previous to this morning, on…
Day 3. Rating: “Huzzah!”
Day 21. Rating: “Huzzah!”
Day 39. Rating: “Huzzah!”
Day 57. Rating: “Huzzah!”
Day 74. Rating: “Huzzah!”
Day 93. Rating: “Huzzah!”
Day 111. Rating: “Meh!”
Yikes. It must have killed me to give a Bernstein performance a “Meh!” rating. But, obviously, I did.
Still, one “Meh!” out of seven performances is pretty darn good.
What will today bring?
I’ll know in about a half hour.
But, first, a brief excerpt from the liner notes written by Jed Distler:
The Eighth Symphony abounds with “insider” humor, with rhythmic and harmonic surprises. Its wit, compactness and brash countenance seem tailor-made for the Bernstein temperament, and this performance finds the conductor at his most energetic and unfettered.
Precisely.
Beethoven wrote his symphonies in four parts (except for the Sixth, which is in five). The time breakdown of this particular one (Symphony No. 8 in F major), from this particular conductor (Bernstein, at age 59) and this particular orchestra (Wiener Philharmoniker), at this particular time in history (November, 1978) on this particular record label (Deutsche Grammophon) is as follows:
I. Allegro vivace e con brio…………………………………..9:45
II. Allegretto scherzando…………………………………….4:01
III. Tempo di menuetto……………………………………….4:49
IV. Allegro vivace………………………………………………….7:26
Total running time: 25:21
My Rating:
Recording quality: 5 (a typical Deutsche Grammophon recording; clean, exceptionally well recorded, “lush,” by which I mean the orchestra sounds full and rich, with delicious top end)
Overall musicianship: 5 (flawless, magical, lyrical, playful, joyful)
CD liner notes: 4 (intro by Bernstein, only one English essay – but a darn good one)
How does this make me feel: 5 (“Huzzah!”)
This is exactly what I expected to hear from Maestro Bernstein and the Wiener Philharmoniker.
The instruments ring out with clarity and precision, spirit and passion.
Every movement is a wonder to behold.
I hate to gush, but this is how symphonies should sound.
I can’t recommend this highly enough.
“Huzzah!”
And again I say “Huzzah!”