What are you listening to now?

[Harvey]

Just listened to the 1812 Overture that came on the disc with Wellington's Victory. It is different than the 1812 I am used to. This one has singing on it and it is FANTASTIC! I really like it. It is 10 times better than the other one.

[Michael]

As for Wellington's Victory, it's kitsch in my opinion. I wouldn't necessarily call it bad, but Beethoven must have known that it wasn't very good. Just juxtaposing the 7th with it, as was the case at the premiere, and the level of compositional sophistication between the two pieces is a world apart.

Ironically, Wellington's Victory was possibly Beethoven's greatest success with the public - financially anyway.
Have you heard this intriguing version?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xc4Lyh0D2Y

[Peter]

Gardiner's Eroica is very good--at least I liked it quite a lot as I was first dipping into the symphonies back in January. But when I bought a cycle I went for Gunter Wand. I surely did not evaluate a lot of cycles, but the Wand cycle appealed to me for some reason. Picked up the Bell 4&7 on a whim and I like it. Seems to be well rated at Amazon too.

You're right Harvey - listened to Gardiner's Eroica today and I really like it.

[AeolianHarp]

What a delightful treasure to have just discovered. For anyone else who is interested.

Yes, he made our anthem far more interesting! Ah, you have linked my fave you tube channel- El musico de Bonn!

As for Wellington's Victory, it's kitsch in my opinion. I wouldn't necessarily call it bad, but Beethoven must have known that it wasn't very good. Just juxtaposing the 7th with it, as was the case at the premiere, and the level of compositional sophistication between the two pieces is a world apart.

Well it would be hard to compare the 7th to it as they are two very different pieces of music for two different purposes. Wellington's Victory was a commission and was performed at a benefit concert.

After the Battle of Vitoria, Beethoven’s friend Johann Nepomuk Maelzel talked him into writing a composition commemorating this ba*tle that he could notate on his 'mechanical orche*tra', the panharmonicon, a contraption that was able to play many of the military band instruments of the day. However, Beethoven wrote a composition for large band, so large that Maelzel could not build a machine large enough to perform the music. As an alternative, Beethoven rewrote the Siegessinfonie for orchestra, added a first part and renamed the work Wellington’s Victory.

The piece was first performed in Vienna on 8 December 1813 at a concert to benefit Austrian and Bavarian soldiers wounded at the Battle of Hanau, with Beethoven conducting. It was an immediate crowd-pleaser and met with much enthusiasm from early concertgoers. Also on the programme were the premiere of his Symphony No. 7 and a work performed by Maelzel's mechanical trumpeter


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wellington%27s_Victory

[AeolianHarp]

Ironically, Wellington's Victory was possibly Beethoven's greatest success with the public - financially anyway.

Surely he earned more from the Ninth?

Have you heard this intriguing version?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xc4Lyh0D2Y

Sounds like something they could use in a film!

[hal9000]

Sounds like something they could use in a film!

I was thinking the same thing. It certainly isn't lacking in drama.

Regarding Gardiner's set, I also really like his third; it's the perfect tempo in my opinion. His fifth is also probably my favourite fifth, which begs the question: scherzo-trio repeat in the third movement - yay or nay?

[Peter]

Surely he earned more from the Ninth?

No, the first performance of the 9th was a financial disaster - from the success of the Battle of Vittoria he was able to purchase 8 bank shares, one of which he was forced to sell later.

[Peter]

Beethoven complete overtures - Zinman/ Tonhalle orchestra

[Michael]

You're right Harvey - listened to Gardiner's Eroica today and I really like it.

Gardiner's "Eroica" was used in its entirety in the film "Eroica" which was broadcast a few years back. I don't know if it should be described as a "film" or "movie", but it is certainly one of the most daring productions ever shown. It's a recreation of the first performance (or more accurately, the first rehearsal) of the symphony in the palace of Prince Lobkowitz.

There are one or two quite dramatic moments but it is essentially a complete performance of the third symphony. In fact, on the DVD, there is the option of watching the whole symphony without dialogue.

I am almost sure that Gardiner and his orchestra re-recorded the work for this programme and it remains, for me at least, a fascinating production.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFA_tT8_v-Q

[AeolianHarp]

No, the first performance of the 9th was a financial disaster - from the success of the Battle of Vittoria he was able to purchase 8 bank shares, one of which he was forced to sell later.

Crazy! Such an immense work should have brought him a good income!

[AeolianHarp]

I was thinking the same thing. It certainly isn't lacking in drama.

Regarding Gardiner's set, I also really like his third; it's the perfect tempo in my opinion. His fifth is also probably my favourite fifth, which begs the question: scherzo-trio repeat in the third movement - yay or nay?

I confess to not knowing the difference!

[Harvey]

Well I sold my Gardiner third to Rocco a couple months ago after buying a Zinman eroica and 4th CD. I figured one fast tempo Eroica would suffice. I am goin to play the Zinman 3rd and 4th next in my car.

[Harvey]

Well i got through the first movement of the third with Zinman and was at the store and bought Johnny Cash at San Quentin, special edition of the entire concert, so that is being played now and I'll come back to Zinman. But that is in the car. My earphone is playing Ormandy's Missa Solemnis while I await my Karajan Missa Solemnis with Gundula Janowitz that I recently ordered.

[Rocco]

Last night - Brahms German Requiem. Simply an amazing work!

[Peter]

Last night - Brahms German Requiem. Simply an amazing work!

Yes Rocco it is a very powerful and beautiful piece - I remember driving home from London many years ago at 2.00am with hardly anything on the road except Brahms requiem playing in my car - certainly kept me awake!