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In Reply to: New Haitink Beethoven Symphony cycle ... any opinions? posted by hinduclient on December 8, 2006 at 12:13:51:
...these performances reveal an altogether different kind of conductor. It's true that Haitink in recent years has become pretty staid--his most recent LSO Live Brahms cycle was deadly dull--but not so with these Beethoven performances. He uses the new Barenreiter editions here (the same ones used by Zinman), and that seems to have inspired him. So far I've heard the discs of 2/6, 3/Leonore 2, 7/Triple Concerto, and 9 (all on SACD). All of the performances are very good to stupendous (and that last epithet is reserved for the last movement of the 7th and the first 2 movements of the 9th). Dynamics are incredibly huge. The timpani, in particular, are outstanding--always strong and emphatic--and it helps that hard sticks are used. The recorded sound is much better than usual from this source, and has a nice warmth and richness, if still a touch dry and boxy (but not objectionable at all IMO).Russell
Follow Ups:
I only have the 3rd from Haitink so maybe that isn't enough of a barometer but I prefer the Vanska SACD recordings.BTW, I ordered his recording of the 9th and it's on its way. I'll let you know about that one after a few spins but I won't have Haitink's to compare to unfortunately.
I'm sure you have at least one of the Vanska SACD recordings. What is your opinion versus the Haitink discs you have listened to?
...and hated it. I found it overly slick and completely cold and impersonal. I love Vanska's Sibelius, but his 'Eroica' is another matter entirely. I know many here (and elsewhere) have said good things about the disc of 4 & 5, but his recording of the 3rd put me off wanting to hear more of his Beethoven. I still have the SACD of 3 & 8, so I really should give it another chance, but...I like Haitink's 3rd a lot (it has the warmth and humanity that I find lacking in the Vanska), but it doesn't quite achieve the extra intensity of his 7th and 9th.
Russell
I have all 3 SACD's. The 4th and 5th are superb. I am not as taken with the others. I have one of the Haitink SACD's (7th and Triple Concerto) - it is very good. 2 and 6 are on their way.
With apologies (I hadn't yet read your post here), see my comments below. I LOVE Haitink (solid and direct...not "in fashion" these days), but I cannot imagine he has anything more to say than Zinman, Harnoncourt, Gardiner, Norrington, Bruggen, Furtwangler, Kleiber(s), Klemperer, Reiner -- all those others many folks already have.In other words, probably a good recommendation for a first or second set. Now, the SACD folks (of course) have limited choices, so they are slobbering!:-)
I was a huge fan of the Haitink/Concertgebouw recordings from the 70's on Philips (but not much since then). His Beethoven sets with the LPO and Concertgebouw were nothing special, however. But, as I mentioned already, this new cycle finds him completely revitalized and much more energetic than I would have ever imagined. Having heard a couple of his awful LSO Live Brahms CDs, I had written off this new Beethoven set from the same source. Then I started noticing more and more positive things being written about them, and so decided to try one--I was not only pleasantly surprised, but really shocked at how vital these performances are. Try the discs of 7 and 9, and I think you'll see what I mean. (The others I've heard--2, 3, and 6--are also good, but they don't quite achieve that extra intensity that I hear in 7 and 9.) The disc of 1 & 5 has been reviewed highly as well, but the SACD isn't out yet (except in the box set).Russell
I'm a fan of the Zinman set...As previously mentioned, Haitink's recordings have become rather dull....As a matter of fact, I think I've purged all my Haitink recordings at the used CD store as none have impressed so far....
I think you will be surprised with the Haitink, especially with Nos. 7 and 9. (As a friend of mine likes to say, it sounds like he ate his Wheaties that day.) I like the Zinman set a lot, though it has its quirks--sometimes there's a slightly odd turn of phrase, and sometimes I want a bigger sound out of the orchestra, good as it is. The orchestral textures in the Haitink are fuller and more weighty, Zinman more spare and transparent. The Haitink is more closely recorded, and that adds to the impact. Though Haitink takes more conventional tempos overall than Zinman (but still a little faster than the norm), there are greater dynamic contrasts--he and the orchestra hammer out the first 2 movements of the 9th more forcefully than I've ever heard. And I've rarely heard the finale to the 7th played with more exhilaration and intensity than Haitink does here. It's really exciting to hear a large orchestra playing full-tilt like this, and I have to say that it's been a long, long time since I've felt so enthusiastic about any modern-day recording of a Beethoven symphony.Russell
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