Music Review: Two Beethoven Firsts - Page 2

Vanska draws broadly from Bernstein and Solti, both of whom characterized their Beethoven with warmth and lushness, a breathing, expanding wall of sound. These characteristics are brought to life in the Super Audio nature of the recording. Vanska’s Beethoven First has mercuric fluidity, shiny, dense, and uniform.

Vanska’s pacing of this early Beethoven symphony is nothing less than perfect. He starts the ball rolling and through that inertia that is Beethoven, the composition comes to life, propelling forward with a relaxed urgency. His closings, particularly of the first movement allegro con brio are Swiss watch precise, thundering staccato codas. Vanska’s is a spiritual Beethoven, deep and thoughtful.

Ludwig van Beethoven
Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3 [Hybrid SACD]
Royal Flemish Philharmonic, Philippe Herreweghe
Pentatone
2007

Like with Herreweghe’s Fifth his performance of the C major symphony is organic and transparent. Herreweghe’s interpretation permits the listener entrance into the music, beckoning us to come in and stay a while. The festivities are sure to be lively.

It is impossible not to compare Herreweghe's cycle with that of Nikolaus Harnoncourt's and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe in the 1990s: modern instrumentation with period sensibilities. The sonics are comparable between Herreweghe and Harnoncourt, both being superior to the period instrument performances.

And lively they are. Herreweghe’s use of natural horns is well manifested in his First, bright and tart. Insistent is his pace and determined is his approach. Herreweghe’s and Vanska’s tempi are comparable, but their respective grip on the reins is not. Vanska is a master of control and flow while Herreweghe likes a bit of the high wire, choosing to conduct with the governor removed.

Beethoven sings like an aria in the hands of Herreweghe and the Royal Flemish Philharmonic. This is high dramatic stuff. Herreweghe successfully shows Beethoven as the Roman god Janus, looking forward to Wagner and backward to Haydn at the same time.

Article Author: C. Michael Bailey

Arkansas son C. Michael Bailey has been in hiding since he revealed his family's abolitionist position prior to the War Between the States. He is a Senior Reviewer for All About Jazz and publisher of the webblog Kultur. Michael’s day job is spent as a clinical data analyst.
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