Beethoven's transcription of Symphony No.2

[PDG]

Originally posted by sjwenger:
Go get 'em! Don't just delete their messages and kick them off the list, but also stick their heads in boiling oil and their keyboards in honey; and make them listen to Pink Floyd and Dr Dre and Eminem all day.

Hey, don't diss The Floyd! Especially the first album (1967). Syd Barrett died recently. But I agree about Eminem (sp? Enema??).

Shine on you Crazy Diamond. RIP.

[PDG]

Originally posted by Rod:
..and I was looking forward to your assessment of this rare Beethoven arrangement PDG...

Ah, right you are.

The recording is very nice (not too spacious but still allowed to breathe) and all the instruments are well balanced. I do think that in this reduced arrangement it might work better if the first movement exposition repeat is not observed, because there is a sprawling effect which we only overcome in our mind's ear because we already know the symphonic version. The finale is far more successful because of the overpowering sense of urgency and fun in any musical combination, which can only ever lead to a satisfying conclusion.

Lovely though this underrated work is, there always remains the reasons why this was an original symphonic concept.

Thanks Rod, for the chance to hear it on authentic instruments.



[This message has been edited by PDG (edited 09-07-2006).]

[Rod]

Originally posted by PDG:
Ah, right you are.

The recording is very nice (not too spacious but still allowed to breathe) and all the instruments are well balanced. I do think that in this reduced arrangement it might work better if the first movement exposition is not observed, because there is a sprawling effect which we only overcome in our mind's ear because we already know the symphonic version. The finale is far more successful because of the overpowering sense of urgency and fun in any musical combination, which can only ever lead to a satisfying conclusion.

Lovely though this underrated work is, there always remains the reasons why this was an original symphonic concept.

Thanks Rod, for the chance to hear it on authentic instruments.

Repeats must always be observed with Beethoven. Whenever you get the impresson that a piece would sound better with the repeat removed it means one thing - the tempo is too slow. The performance of the first movement could have had a touch more urgency, though it is not exactly played at moderato pace as unfortunately one often still hears with Beethoven allegros.

You have to ask yourself why so often the repeats were not even observed in performaces of the Symphony.

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"If I were but of noble birth..." - Rod Corkin

[robert newman]

Hi Rod,

I really do like this Beethoven transcription of Symphony No. 2 - very fine work. And excellently played. I listened again to the first movement today.

Oh - thanks again for the Handel 'Aci, Galatea e Polifemo' which I have listened to the first disc of. It's very nice and I hope to hear the rest in the next few days.

By the way, you will cringe but yesterday I got a 2 CD set of J.E. Gardiner, English Baroque Soloists and the Monteverdi Choir - (Volume 21 of JS Bach's Cantatas) - 8 cantatas BWV 22, 23, 127, 159, 182, 54 and 1. Sheer indulgence ! This is all music performed during their 1 year whirlwind tour of Europe in 2000 to perform all the Bach cantatas in a single year. Some of it is really superb. Maybe one day you will listen to such stuff (Ha !)

R

[Rod]

Originally posted by robert newman:

Hi Rod,

I really do like this Beethoven transcription of Symphony No. 2 - very fine work. And excellently played. I listened again to the first movement today.

Oh - thanks again for the Handel 'Aci, Galatea e Polifemo' which I have listened to the first disc of. It's very nice and I hope to hear the rest in the next few days.

By the way, you will cringe but yesterday I got a 2 CD set of J.E. Gardiner, English Baroque Soloists and the Monteverdi Choir - (Volume 21 of JS Bach's Cantatas) - 8 cantatas BWV 22, 23, 127, 159, 182, 54 and 1. Sheer indulgence ! This is all music performed during their 1 year whirlwind tour of Europe in 2000 to perform all the Bach cantatas in a single year. Some of it is really superb. Maybe one day you will listen to such stuff (Ha !)

R

yes I don't think there will ever be a better recording of this music, not that there are many to choose from at the moment.

I'm glad you like Aci.., but I know you would. A little heavy on the 'bella voce' here and there, but otherwise a very good effort. Like I said every number is a hit, as so often is the case with Handel.

I have heard a number of Bach's church cantatas but one has to be patient for the 'gems' to appear. With Handel's 11 English church anthems (the Chandos) every number is a gem, this is miracle music to my ears.


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"If I were but of noble birth..." - Rod Corkin

[This message has been edited by Rod (edited 09-08-2006).]

[Athea]

Originally posted by Rod:
though it is against my nature.

I am lost...

[Athea]

Originally posted by PDG:
The finale is far more successful because of the overpowering sense of urgency and fun in any musical combination, which can only ever lead to a satisfying conclusion.

Lovely though this underrated work is, there always remains the reasons why this was an original symphonic concept.

They can show light, joyful and live Beethoven's face, indeed. Although a whole orchestra is compressed to three instruments, the composition doesn't lose its forcibility.

[Rod]

Originally posted by Athea:

Originally posted by Rod:
though it is against my nature.

I am lost...

seek and ye shall find...

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"If I were but of noble birth..." - Rod Corkin

[Chaszz]

Originally posted by Athea:

Originally posted by Chaszz:

Off topic for this site and thread, but the moderators are away so the mice will play. When I am in France I speak French fairly well - well, passably, they all understand me - but I am damned if I can understand them. Do you have this problem with English?

I mostly don't have this kind of problem, it depends on many things...But now I think that I have. I am not so sure if I understand you well...You've just got me, ha!

I realized after I wrote this that "I'm damned if I can understand them" would probably be unclear to you, as it's based on an idiom. What I mean is that I speak French OK but can't understand them when they answer me. Do you have this problem when speaking and hearing English?

[This message has been edited by Chaszz (edited 09-09-2006).]

[Athea]

Originally posted by Chaszz:

I realized after I wrote this that "I'm damned if I can understand them" would probably be unclear to you, as it's based on an idiom. What I mean is that I speak French OK but can't understand them when they answer me. Do you have this problem when speaking and hearing English?

Great – now I see that I UNDERSTOOD you well! (so it's not so grave with me I hope)

That’s a difficult question, as I have said, it depends on many things, for example I was watching Tv, an American film was on, and I understood actors well and I enjoyed it, but once I saw another American film and, what a horror, the actors seemed to be not Americans but perhaps aborigines from opposite side of the planet Earth or even unknown visitors from the universe; simply – I didn’t understand them at all. However, a year ago some Englishmen asked me about something, they spoke to me about five minutes and it was no problem. So I think that sometimes I am really in trouble and sometimes, or rather mostly, it is not so horrible, it’s even good. And - I am still working on improvement.

I think that reading is still easier than listening to English to me, that’s clear, you have an oportunity to read a text a number of time, you can go back to word that you do not understand, and – what a surprise – there is a dictionary! You can always look in. Now I don’t want to say that I must do that with every single word, it would be terrible Usually I don’t need open it. Notwithstanding certain cases when you know meaning of every word in a sentence, but the whole sentence is an absolute nonsense to you. Yes, there are "inocent" cases named idioms – only one example.

I hope you understand me well, and if I can’t understand your thoughts someday you have an oportunity to try French... Oh, rather not, le francais est une tres, tres belle langue que j’aime beaucoup, mais c’est aussi tres, tres difficile pour moi... Bien, pas tres difficile, je pense...

Do you believe I like English since I have been here? Previously I didn’t care, now I really love this language.

Girl, hope the administrators won’t notice your short posting...




[This message has been edited by Athea (edited 09-09-2006).]