First Recording of Beethoven's 5th.

[Megan]

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVbgz9kZeD0&list=RDnVbgz9kZeD0&start_radio =1&t=945[/YOUTUBE]





This is the first recording of the complete Beethoven's 5th symphony. It was recorded in 1910 and released from the Odeon company. But it was credited "Streich Orchester"(String Orchestra) so many people (who could not hear but read about this record) believed that it was an incomplete recording. Because of this, many books writes that the first complete recording of this work was conducted by Arthur Nikisch with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, recorded in 1913.

As you can hear, there are winds and percussion. The reason why it is written "String Orchestra "is an mystery. Also, the conductor is uncertain but some suggests that it is Friedrich Kark (1869～?) who was a conductor of Hamburg Opera house from 1906 to 1918 and made many recording for the Odeon and Parlophon company.

[Peter]

Thanks for that Megan - really fascinating! A lively tempo as well for the first movement.

[Michael]

Thanks, Megan! That's an amazing discovery. I thought the Nikisch was the first complete recording (and so did everyone else apparently as it was included in the DGG Complete Beethoven Edition.)

The Nikisch was released on, I think, four 78 rpm discs. Without checking, I think the cellos and basses were replaced by winds (contrabassoons maybe?) There were problems with the larger stringed instruments - maybe they couldn't get the double basses into the typical small studios.

It's amazing how much of the music gets through on both recordings.





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[Hollywood]

Funny how words in any language can mean something completely different than what you think.

It should be written as one word, Streichorchester, which does in english translate to "string orchestra". What's interesting is that the german the word "Streich" means prank, trick, to hit, joke, hoax, frolic. The word for string in german is Schnur. I guess that the german word "streich" is like so many english words that have more than one meaning and you have to see how it is used in a sentence to know which meaning is correct.

This is a problem I have with my Viennese husband who doesn't know much english, only what he has learned from being together with me for almost 20 years. Every so often he'll ask me what an english word means and sometimes it's a word that has more than one meaning. I then have to explain to him all of the possible meanings which at times can be frustrating for me especially when he still looks like he doesn't know what I mean after explaining it to him. If only he had not played hooky so often from school when he was a kid growing up in post WWII Vienna.

[Enrique]

If I'm not wrong the first bars only use the string quintet plus the fagots. Very near to be playable by a string orchestra.

EDIT: I was wrong. I now remember it begins with the clarinets. After the two ta-ta-ta-taaaam, the fagots do enter.