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In the Forum: Musical Discussions
In the Thread: A Very Nice "Eroica"!

Post Subject: A Very Nice "Eroica"!Posted by Paul S on: 9/7/2009

Sudwestfunkorchester, Baden-Baden/Jascha Horenstein; Vox, STPL 510-700 (stereo; recorded in Germany)

I think that Beethoven's 3rd Symphony is another case of great music that is so universally appreciated that it becomes ubiquitous, and then we begin to take it for granted. I would not doubt it if someone told me that every visitor to this site owned at least two versions of this all-conquering warhorse, nor would I doubt that one of us just might be spinning a version of it as this is written.

Today I sat down with the idea that I would compare two of my 6 or 7 versions of this work, but I wound up put off by the other version, so I only listened to this one (twice..).

So, what's to enjoy here? Lately I have been reveling in type of orchestral performance I associated first with Furtwangler, where the various sections - and even individual instruments - seem to have their own lives apart from the whole to which they contribute. Done well enough, this can make for wonderfully rich tone, textures and timing as well as revealing how very interesting the 3rd is as Music, both in a rote, technical sense and also in terms of its aesthetics. This performance also has nice, well-integrated LF for a change, and this LF actually derives from the bass instruments playing in real time!

I like Horenstein (ex-pat Ruskie...) and I compare him to Bruno Walter in some ways. His sound is probably considered "antique" by today's standards; but what do I care about that? Horenstein is at his best here, and the orchestra is superb. I thought it odd at first that while their dynamics were so - well - dynamic , yet their peaks were all somewhat diminished. They'd head for a fortissimo with plenty of momentum and plenty of power in reserve, but the crescendo would trail off. This problem turned out to be the engineers (of course...) riding the limiters.

But don't worry; the performance itself is so loaded that it not only survives but it thrives via this otherwise-good recording and transfer.

Out of the dozens of versions I have heard of this deluxe chestnut, this version is high up on my short list.

Paul S

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