Beethoven - Symphonies 5 & 7 - Kleiber, Wiener Philharmoniker

Beethoven - Symphonies 5 & 7 - Kleiber, Wiener Philharmoniker
Symphonic | Eac, flac, cue | log, cover | 1 CD, 326 MB
January 23, 1996 | DG| RapidShare

Essential Recording

Long regarded as the quintessential interpretation of the most popular and best-loved symphony ever written, this performance of the Fifth has everything: passion, precision, drama, lyric beauty, and a coiled fury in the first movement that sets your pulse racing from the very first note. Carlos Kleiber has made very few recordings in his distinguished career, but almost all are special. If you own no other copy of this symphony, this is the one to get. It comes with an exceptional performance of the Seventh--not quite as gripping as the Fifth, but definitely one of the great ones. There is classical music, and there are classic recordings of classical music. This one's a classic. -- David Hurwitz


CD Content

Symphony No. 5 in C minor ("Fate"), Op. 67
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performed by Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Conducted by Carlos Kleiber

Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performed by Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Conducted by Carlos Kleiber

Mendelssohn - Symphonies 1 & 2 etc. - Dohnanyi, Vienna PO

Mendelssohn - Symphonies 1 & 2 etc. - Dohnanyi, Vienna PO
Symphonic | Eac, Ape, cue | log, cover | 2 CD, 527 MB
May 11, 1999 | Decca | RapidShare

Christoph von Dohnanyi and the Vienna Philharmonic truly deliver fantastic readings of these two lesser known symphonies by Felix Mendelssohn. The Vienna Philharmonic (as always) is well balanced, very transparent, and well rehearsed; they play incisively and with total conviction. Dohnanyi conducts the symphonies tightly, and that taught quality makes these recordings very exciting. My only complaint would be that, at times, the orchestra sounds a bit small. Still, overall, a wonderful compilation by London Decca.--Amazon

This CD wasn't totally good. There were several instances where Dohnanyi's penchant for speed annoyed me, particularly in the trio of the Minuet of the first symphony, which lost a lot of its "mystical" quality in this recording. This is minor, however, when one takes into account the clarity and power of this interpretation. Of particular note is the almost explosive accent Dohnanyi gets from the VPO in many spots--the end of the first movement of the First symphony, for example, comes off with almost hammerblow-style anger, where before it was a fairly normal conclusion. (Speaking of conclusions, you can hear EVERY instrument in the last movement of the First, including brass and winds... I've only ever heard the strings being prominent there!) As well, the end of the second symphony ("Lobe dem Herrn!") is so glorious that I have to play it ten or twelve consecutive times every time I listen to that particular movement. Overall, while these symphonies seem a little choppy at times, that's a small price to pay for accurate tempi, a solid musical interpretation, and an energy that brings them to life.--Amazon


CD Content

Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 11
Composed by Felix Mendelssohn
Performed by Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Conducted by Christoph von Dohnanyi

Die Erste Walpurgisnacht, cantata for chorus & orchestra, Op. 60
Composed by Felix Mendelssohn
Performed by Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
with Margarita Lilova, Alfred Sramek, Tom Krause, Horst R. Laubenthal
Conducted by Christoph von Dohnanyi

Symphony No. 2 in B flat major ("Lobgesang", "Hymn of Praise"), Op. 52
Composed by Felix Mendelssohn
Performed by Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
with Josef Bock, Sona Ghazarian, Edita Gruberova, Werner Krenn
Conducted by Christoph von Dohnanyi

Strauss J - Blue Danube - Boskovsky, Wiener Philharmoniker

Strauss J - Blue Danube - Boskovsky, Wiener Philharmoniker
Orchestral | Eac, flac, cue | log, cover | 1 CD, 299 MB
November 28, 1989 | Decca | RapidShare

Willi Boskovsky (born Vienna, June 16, 1909; died Visp, Switzerland April 21, 1991) was an Austrian violinist and conductor. Willi Boskovsky joined the Vienna Academy of music at the age of nine. He was the concertmaster of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra from 1936 to 1979. He was also, from 1959, the conductor of the Vienna New Year's Concert, which is usually devoted to the music of Johann Strauss II and his contemporaries. Along with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, he was also the chief conductor of the Wiener Johann Strauss Orchester up until his death. A forerunner of this ensemble was the 19th-century Strauss Orchestra founded by Johann Strauss I in 1835. In chamber ensemble he led the Boskovsky Quartet with Philipp Matheis (2nd violin), Gunther Breitenbach (viola) and Nikolaus Hübner (violoncello). The Boskovsky Quartet, together with Johann Krump (double-bass), Alfred Boskovsky (clarinet), Josef Veleba (horn) and Rudolf Hanzl (bassoon) formed the Vienna Octet. These ensembles made several famous recordings (see below). His style appealed to many Strauss listeners as he directed Strauss' music in the manner of the "Vorgeiger", i.e. directing the orchestra with the violin just as Johann Strauss I popularised this form of conducting waltzes, polkas and other dance music alongside Strauss' rival Josef Lanner in the early 19th century. This tradition was also carried on by Johann Strauss II and Josef Strauss after their father's death. Boskovsky was extremely sympathetic to the Strauss style, and his renditions of the Strauss works invariably had the lightness of touch, easy grace, and subtle humor that suit the works to their best advantage. Apart from the Strauss family waltzes, Boskovsky recorded a 10-album cycle of the complete Mozart Dances and Marches, leading what Decca called the Vienna Mozart Ensemble (assorted members of the Vienna Philharmonic). Many of these recordings were included on the Philips/Polygram Complete Mozart series of CD's issued in the 1990's. Boskovsky's New Year's Day 1979 concert was recorded live by Decca, the first commercial use of their proprietary PCM digital system. The resulting 2-LP set was well-received. Quoting Gramophone magazine: "This is a riotous issue ... the first recording to be manufactured and released in the UK utilizing digital recording ... astoundingly vivid and atmospheric ... the results are phenomenal." The album was most recently released as part of the Decca Legends series, remastered in 96k/24-bit PCM.

Tracks
By the Beautiful Blue Danube, Waltz
Perpetual Motion. A Musical Joke Op.257
Music of the Spheres, Waltz
Thunder and Lightning, Quick Polka
Morning Papers, Waltz
Persian March
Explosions-Polka, Op.43
Accelerations-Waltz
Anna's Polka, Op.117
Delerium, Waltz
Russian March
Fireproof! French Polka

59:46:25

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