from: Telarc
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Type of bind: Audio CD
EAN num: 0089408047121
Label: Telarc
Manufacturer: Telarc
Number Of Discs: 2
Publishing house: Telarc
Release Date: September 28, 1999
Sale Popularity Level: 25457
Studio: Telarc
Disc 1:- I. Allegro Con Brio
- II. Andante Con Moto, Piu Moto
- III. Allegro
- IV. Allegro, Tempo I, Presto
- I. Poco Sostenuto, Vivace
- II. Allegretto
- III. Presto, Assai Meno Presto
- IV. Allegro Con Brio
Disc 2:- Introduction
- Moonlight Sonata
- Movement I
- Movement II
- Movement III
- Movement IV
- Movement I
- Movement II
- Movement III
- Movement IV
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Amazon.com:
Benjamin Zander has been making his reputation by examining the correct tempos for familiar works, as in his pioneering recording of Stravinsky's Le Sacre du Printemps. Here, on a bonus disc, which is longer than the performances, he offers the most illuminating commentary on music since Leonard Bernstein. Whether you agree with his thoughts on proper Beethoven tempos derived from the composer's metronome markings, if you have any interest in this music at all, you'll find his discusion fascinating. He also has a gift for making poetic analogies to music--a dangerous undertaking--that are utterly convincing. As Zander admits, his performances of the symphonies are not as necessary as his tempo discoveries (he recommends Carlos Kleiber's Deutsche Grammophon recordings, as do we), but they are remarkably fine ones, taken at those controversial tempos and making them work. Telarc, which usually provides such exemplary sound, has let Zander down a bit. These recordings sound somewhat opaque, and you occasionally have to strain to hear the detail that the conductor wanted from the orchestra. But the combination of performance and discusion will still show you new aspects of Beethoven's familiar music, and that's an experience worth having. --Leslie Gerber
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers 
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Excellent music with a big plus. The complementary disc in which Mr Zander comments the music is a very accesible illustration of the world of classical music and its performance.
Rated by buyers 
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I heard his performance of Beethoven 5 on NPR and HAD to purchase it. The tempos (Beethoven's metronome markings) were hot and the performance was full of angry HUMOR, which always comes as a surprise to me. Though he doesn't take the crazy-wonderful dynamics choices that Szell does, this is a CD with two of my favorite Beethoven Symphonies, crisply and furiously performed, with a BONUS CD of Zander discussing Beethoven, tempi and Beethoven's relationship with the newly-invented (at his time) metronome.
Rated by buyers -
I bought this on the recommendation of reviews here and elsewhere, and am VERY pleased with it. The performance is very first rate, and the sound quality is quite good but not great. (One reviewer described the sound quality as "opaque", and I concur, else I would have given it five stars.) The companion disc is worth the price of the set, and one need not be a Music Theory Major to understand Zander's analysis. Just a warning, though, after becoming accustomed to Zander's quicker tempo - which, if you agree with his analysis, is actually Beethoven's original tempo - it will be hard to listen to other, slower performances without wondering what these other conductors were thinking ... or doing.
Rated by buyers -
Having grown up an avid fan of Bernstein's Young People's Concerts I was thrilled when I ran into this recording. The music is fabulous and the "lectures" are fascinating, edifying and very understandable. Everyone I've played this for agrees and wants their own copy.
Rated by buyers -
Except for the 9th symphony, I have never been able to get into Beethoven, or any of the "romantic" composers (such as Brahms) who followed him. (For the record, my favorite composers are Mozart, Stravinski, and Ives.) Still, it seemed there had to be something more there than I was capable of understanding. With Mozart, I have found that I greatly prefer "period instrument" performances, and so formed the opinion that modern conducting and performance practice is often to blame for obscuring a great composer's intentions. I was therefore intrigued to learn of these Beethoven performances at Beethoven's clearly designated tempos.
Well, I am stunned! I *love* them! The 5th and 7th have suddenly become two of my very favorite pieces of music, and I can't get the last movement of the 7th out of my head (not that I want to!). I was so surprised by this that I assumed I must have previously just listened to mediocre performances, so I went out and got the Kleiber than everyone raves about. There's no comparison, in my view. Kleiber's tempos are closer to (what we now know is) the real thing, but still lean way too far in the direction of pretension and monotony (not to mention the awful mid-70s DG sound).
If you love Beethoven, you can now hear what he wanted you to hear, with great Telarc sound. ... If you don't love Beethoven, give these a chance, and maybe you (like me) will change your mind.
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