Beethoven Documentary on BBC 2 Tonight (28th May)

[Albert Gans]

There cannot be any more happy combination but Gardiner and Beethoven 5. I once saw him give a speech on the link with Cherubini in the Barbican, during a concert he was giving with the 5th. Absolute bliss.

By the way, yesterday evening, I saw Rattle, the Berliner and Krystof Zimerman do an extraordinary PC 4. Brilliant. Mitigates somewhat my not so enthusiastic view of Rattle. He was tops yesterday and my friends and I, together with 1500 or so others in Rotterdam, had a wonderful evening. It also included Dvorak's Slavonic Dances, and that also is amazing to watch: it does require the orchestra to be on the tip of their toes. They are all magic little miniatures, which demand utter concentration of the orchestra, with all the tempi changes, the FFFs and PPPs, the solos, and so on. Another great evening.

[Humoresque]

There cannot be any more happy combination but Gardiner and Beethoven 5. I once saw him give a speech on the link with Cherubini in the Barbican, during a concert he was giving with the 5th. Absolute bliss.

By the way, yesterday evening, I saw Rattle, the Berliner and Krystof Zimerman do an extraordinary PC 4. Brilliant. Mitigates somewhat my not so enthusiastic view of Rattle. He was tops yesterday and my friends and I, together with 1500 or so others in Rotterdam, had a wonderful evening. It also included Dvorak's Slavonic Dances, and that also is amazing to watch: it does require the orchestra to be on the tip of their toes. They are all magic little miniatures, which demand utter concentration of the orchestra, with all the tempi changes, the FFFs and PPPs, the solos, and so on. Another great evening.

"Happy combination" perhaps but Kleiber remains the benchmark Beethoven #5 according to very many critics:

http://www.newyorker.com/culture/cul...ral-recordings

Don't also forget Harnoncourt as a great Beethoven #5 interpreter with Chamber Orchestra of Europe. And then of course there's Concentus, I'm not so partial to Gardiner however.

[Albert Gans]

Certainly would agree on Carlos Kleiber (assuming it was Carlos you meant). Among the fourteen or so versions I have, it certainly ranks near the top. At the other extreme in terms of tempo, you will find Klemperer, however, even if I'm not sure what Beethoven would have thought of it, that, too is a great recording.
Tastes differ. And that's fine, it makes it all even more interesting. It would be rather dull if there was only one interpretation that people would like.