What are you listening to now?

[Sorrano]

This morning:
Giuliani: Introduction, Theme with Variations and Polonaise in A, Op 65

[Enrique]

Bach:

• Prelude and fugue St. Ann (aka Organ mass), BWV 552.
• Prelude and fugue The Great One, BWV 543.
• Pastoral BWV 590.
• Prelude-choral Bwv 654.
• Toccata BWV 540

All by E. Power Biggs (CBS 5435).

Later on: The prelude-choral again and Brahms' 4th symphony (Rafael Kubelick).

[Harvey]

My recording is Eliot Gardiner with the typical fast tempi - to be honest I think he is too fast in this, especially the first movement which sounds hurried. I've not heard Bell conduct, a good recording?

Gardiner's Eroica is very good--at least I liked it quite a lot as I was first dipping into the symphonies back in January. But when I bought a cycle I went for Gunter Wand. I surely did not evaluate a lot of cycles, but the Wand cycle appealed to me for some reason. Picked up the Bell 4&7 on a whim and I like it. Seems to be well rated at Amazon too.

[Peter]

Gardiner's Eroica is very good--at least I liked it quite a lot as I was first dipping into the symphonies back in January. But when I bought a cycle I went for Gunter Wand. I surely did not evaluate a lot of cycles, but the Wand cycle appealed to me for some reason. Picked up the Bell 4&7 on a whim and I like it. Seems to be well rated at Amazon too.

Do you have Szell's 1957 version of the Eroica with the Cleveland? Really great.

[Rocco]

Last night:

Beethoven's 1st, 6th and 9th from the 87 CD set. Very good recordings!

[Harvey]

Do you have Szell's 1957 version of the Eroica with the Cleveland? Really great.

I do not. Will have to check it out if I see it at the local music store used. I have 6 Erocias, 2 Wand (one live), Walter, Koussevitzky (1947 free download), Pfitzner 1929 free download), and Zinman.

[Chris]

Do you have Szell's 1957 version of the Eroica with the Cleveland? Really great.

Definitely!

[Harvey]

The Ruins of Athens Op. 113
Hans Hubert Schönzeler
Berliner Symphoniker
From the 87 CD Complete Beethoven set

[Michael]

"Spring" Sonata and Violin Sonata, Opus 12 No.3.
(Ashkenazy and Perlman")

[Rocco]

The Ruins of Athens Op. 113
Hans Hubert Schönzeler
Berliner Symphoniker
From the 87 CD Complete Beethoven set

Listening to the same right now. This is a wonderful work!

[Peter]

I do not. Will have to check it out if I see it at the local music store used. I have 6 Erocias, 2 Wand (one live), Walter, Koussevitzky (1947 free download), Pfitzner 1929 free download), and Zinman.

It's available on CD and you should find it on Amazon.

[Harvey]

I'll look up the Szell 1957 later when I have more time. Meanwhile. finished Bell 4th and 7th, both very good, and now am playing the live Wand Eroica. Next is Wellington's Victory which I got at a garage sale today for 25 cents!

EDIT: I think this is the Szell 1957 Eroica. It does sound quite wonderful from the clips. Will look for it at Dearborn Music next time I go.

[Harvey]

Just listened to Wellington's Victory from the Complete Beethoven set. It is a wonderful piece. The curious thing is that I heard the melodies to two familiar songs with it: For He's A Jolly Good Fellow and My Country Tis of Thee.

[Michael]

Just listened to Wellington's Victory from the Complete Beethoven set. It is a wonderful piece. The curious thing is that I heard the melodies to two familiar songs with it: For He's A Jolly Good Fellow and My Country Tis of Thee.

Beethoven gave "Rule Brittania" to the English army and (wisely) gave "Marlborough has left for the War" (known over here as "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow") to the French. He could have given them "La Marseillaise" as Tchaikovsky did in the "1812 Overture" but I think he was clever enough to realise that the French national anthem is such a stirring - if bombastic - piece, that it would overwhelm the British tune.

He does, however, give the trivial French tune a touch of pathos in a minor key version towards the end of the battle.
As for "My Country 'Tis of Thee" (aka "God Save the King") Beethoven also wrote a set of piano variations on this tune which he particularly admired. He once said that the British did not realise what a treasure they had in that anthem.

[hal9000]

Beethoven also wrote a set of piano variations on this tune which he particularly admired. He once said that the British did not realise what a treasure they had in that anthem.

What a delightful treasure to have just discovered. For anyone else who is interested.

As for Wellington's Victory, it's kitsch in my opinion. I wouldn't necessarily call it bad, but Beethoven must have known that it wasn't very good. Just juxtaposing the 7th with it, as was the case at the premiere, and the level of compositional sophistication between the two pieces is a world apart.