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Paul S
San Diego, California, USA
Posts 2,658
Joined on 10-12-2006
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Post #:
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3
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Post ID:
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5315
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Reply to:
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5000
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Holy Crap! (Music and Arts transfer)
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Well, bringing up the rear guard, I finally got a copy of the Music and Arts CD transfer of the 1942 concert, and what a performance!!! It might take re-reading for me to sync the liner notes/review with what I heard, which did not need a contemporaneous historical context, as far as I am concerned. The critic apparently heard tons of anger. What I heard is amazingly disciplined ensemble work, with Furtwangler in control right out of the gate, unlike typical "power" conductor sessions, when the orchestra often takes a while to settle down and settle in. I love the parts where each ensemble comes up as it voices a theme, with such interesting tone from the woodwinds, almost more like Tchaikovsky than the average Beethoven reading. Yes, this is a very strong, "fierce" performance, but it is also incredibly nuanced, if writ large, which definitely keeps this one out of the bombast catagory. And as forceful as it is at times, it is always under control, with a sense of almost limitless reserves, despite the limits of the recording. It's almost as though Furtwangler had the musicians hypnotized, like the magician's lady from the audience who rigidly spans the space between two chairs and then wakes up and whistles like a canary. Uncanny.
I appreciate that this performance is not just a matter of lyrics and dynamics, as we too often hear from Beethoven 9. Furtwangler really reaches deep into this work to keep the hair literally standing up on my arms! His phrases just come alive, so rich with tone, and each with its own sort of internal propulsion, vibrant in the "living and breathing" sense. The players are each and every one alive, and they are all definitely playing and creating the same work, which is both immanent and extent simultaneously.
As for the recording, I think it is pretty stupendous, really. Yes, there are the predictable level problems, and most audiophiles will compare it unfavorably to "Casino Royal"; but this transfer certainly captures and delivers the performance, unlike any other rendition of this session I have heard. How good would it have been if they could have just left the omni alone through the whole thing!?!
I couldn't be more pleased, to have now a 9th I can return to with eager anticipation.
Bravo!
Do I gush? Hear for yourself.
Best regards,
Paul S
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