Beethoven - Symphony 5 [Bohm-Wiener Philharmoniker]
I bought this disc back in 2012, from someone in Taiwan i think, this disc isn't available in England and has no barcode, but there's some tremendous discs re-released in the Far East that look so good, i paid a fair price for this, it didn't come cheap, but i worried that it would be a badly recorded live recording or something, as it turns out it's a superb recording, surprisingly very good for 1970 & 1972, but even more important is Bohm's interpretation, music where he lets Beethoven speak, not overdriven and in your face, there's a feel of classic 'this is how it should be done' about it, a great interpretation, this appeared in my Blog a couple of years ago [6th March 2013].
Karl Bohm was Austrian, [1894-1981], this work was recorded in 1970, this Japanese re-packaging is tremendous, the front cover photo is stunningly superb, a crystal clear shot of the Musikverein in Vienna, incandescently lit by those chandeliers, it gives it a tremendous glow, one of the best booklet front covers i know, but the music on the inside is even better!.
Both of these Symphonies are excellently played here, the Fourth is the best version i've ever heard, and the Fifth isn't that far behind, and it was the first movement of the Fifth that i really enjoyed the most, i played this disc while travelling to Reading on the bus, i had it on full volume, and it's slightly recorded low, not the greatest place to play a work when you want a tad more volume, the very opening can seem subdued, i have a recording where Ashkenazy really gets some dynamite out of the opening motif, and Bohm can sound just a bit too laid back in comparison, but there's an architectural long term payback to his approach, it works in the longer scheme of things, it really does sound like what Beethoven wanted, and listening to it now without bus engine distraction, it really does sound menacing enough, well what can i say about Beethoven's revolutionary opening?, it's so profound, it must have stunned audiences hearing it for the first time, Bohm brings out the architecture of the piece so well, one jigsaw piece fits so perfectly into the next, he's not someone who uses short term devices to make a point, but everything seems to be played for long term benefit, the sound really is incredibly good considering the age, plus i can still here individual instruments in the mix, especially the woodwind, a fantastic achievement all round.
Here's Bohm conducting the Fifth on YouTube.
Karl Bohm was Austrian, [1894-1981], this work was recorded in 1970, this Japanese re-packaging is tremendous, the front cover photo is stunningly superb, a crystal clear shot of the Musikverein in Vienna, incandescently lit by those chandeliers, it gives it a tremendous glow, one of the best booklet front covers i know, but the music on the inside is even better!.
Both of these Symphonies are excellently played here, the Fourth is the best version i've ever heard, and the Fifth isn't that far behind, and it was the first movement of the Fifth that i really enjoyed the most, i played this disc while travelling to Reading on the bus, i had it on full volume, and it's slightly recorded low, not the greatest place to play a work when you want a tad more volume, the very opening can seem subdued, i have a recording where Ashkenazy really gets some dynamite out of the opening motif, and Bohm can sound just a bit too laid back in comparison, but there's an architectural long term payback to his approach, it works in the longer scheme of things, it really does sound like what Beethoven wanted, and listening to it now without bus engine distraction, it really does sound menacing enough, well what can i say about Beethoven's revolutionary opening?, it's so profound, it must have stunned audiences hearing it for the first time, Bohm brings out the architecture of the piece so well, one jigsaw piece fits so perfectly into the next, he's not someone who uses short term devices to make a point, but everything seems to be played for long term benefit, the sound really is incredibly good considering the age, plus i can still here individual instruments in the mix, especially the woodwind, a fantastic achievement all round.
Here's Bohm conducting the Fifth on YouTube.
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