My listening post this morning is at the Restaurant-Chain-That-Must-Not-Be-Named where I can watch a wide variety of people come and go, eat, chat, and enjoy each other’s company – all while the only thing I hear this morning is Austrian conductor Karl Bohm (1894-1981), Wiener Philharmoniker, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 8 in F major.
The food here is iffy, just on the border of not being worth the price. And the service is equally iffy. More than half the time, they either forget my order and I have to go back up to the register to remind them of it, or they bring it to me cold, which also means they forgot about it.
But this is a great place to meeting people.
Or write about Beethoven.
I have encountered Maestro Bohm seven times previously, on…
Day 5. Rating: “Meh!”
Day 23. Rating: “Huzzah!”
Day 41. Rating: “Huzzah!”
Day 59. Rating: “Meh!”
Day 77. Rating: “Meh!”
Day 95: Rating: “Meh!”
Day 113. Rating: “Huzzah!”
Four “Meh” and three “Huzzah!” ratings. Not too bad. Not great, though.
What will today bring?
I’ll know in a half hour.
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 (Bohm, at age 77) and this particular orchestra (Wiener Philharmoniker), at this particular time in history (September, 1971) on this particular record label (Deutsche Grammophon) is as follows:
I. Allegro vivace e con brio…………………………………..9:53
II. Allegretto scherzando…………………………………….4:21
III. Tempo di menuetto……………………………………….5:01
IV. Allegro vivace………………………………………………….8:05
Total running time: 26:55
My Rating:
Recording quality: 4 (seems to have too little top end; sounds a little mushy)
Overall musicianship: 4 (lyrical, passionate, dynamic, playful)
CD liner notes: 3 (short essay about Beethoven, lyrics in French, German, English, but nothing about Bohm or the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra)
How does this make me feel: 5 ( “Huzzah!”)
I’m surprised how much I enjoy this performance. I was prepared to dislike it, given Maestro Bohm’s track record with me.
But Movement I sold me. I was engaged from the first burst of music.
Movement II was appropriately light and playful.
Movement III was my least favorite for some reason. I have no idea why. It seemed to lack the same energy as the other movements.
Movement IV was a real corker. It was dynamic and fun.
“Huzzah!”