Seven and Eight................

Music Lane

It's all about the music, dude! Sit down, relax and listen to some tunes.

In Reply to: Listened to Beethoven Five and Six................ posted by Todd Krieger on January 2, 2012 at 17:09:35:

Hit and miss (actually miss and hit), yet again.............

If I had to describe Chailly's B-7, I'd call it "vanilla"...... He didn't butcher the work (such as rush the final movement a la Karajan or Carlos Kleiber), but it kind of went through the motions- The performance simply lacked fire. It was kind of like his "Eroica"- Just plain. Somewhat boring. From start to finish.

I get the impression that Chailly may have enjoyed doing some Beethoven symphonies a lot more than others. His B-6 had a painstaking and exquisite attention to detail, the B-1 and B-5 were almost at that level. But his B-2, "Eroica", and B-7 lacked it almost completely. The B-4 had it in the opening movement, but lacked it in the final two movements.

Then "The Ruins of Athens" Overture...... (Between the B-7 and B-8.) The solo oboe is superb. Now this performance does have some fire. The articulation is back.

Chailly almost sounds like two distinctly different conductors doing Beethoven. His good Beethoven is driving, articulate, and riveting, but his not-so-good stuff is generic and boring.

The B-8...... It's rare to hear a conductor a *lot* more forceful with Beethoven's Eighth than with the Seventh. I hear the "good" Chailly in most part with this one. This B-8 is one of the fastest I've heard, and also some dynamic mannerisms (attenuation of the end of the opening phrase, for example), but this work is almost impossible to mess up. The change of pace works well here. The articulation and dynamic contrast, totally lacking in the B-7, is present in spades here. Chailly takes this very brisk pace throughout, in what I think is Beethoven's most-flexible symphony, interpretively speaking. Although the final movement may be amongst the fastest on record.

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Follow Ups Full Thread

Topic - Riccardo Chailly Beethoven Box Set Update.............. - Todd Krieger 01:13:52 12/31/11 (8)

Listened to Beethoven Five and Six................ - Todd Krieger 17:09:35 01/02/12 (1)

Seven and Eight................ - Todd Krieger 22:01:01 01/04/12 (0)

RE: Riccardo Chailly Beethoven Box Set Update.............. - John N 07:46:49 01/02/12 (0)

Sorry to hear that you're not enjoying it (nt) - Thornhill 06:43:33 01/02/12 (0)

Downloaded Them Last Night from Rhapsody - Sibelius 08:56:12 12/31/11 (2)

Send me the Don G with Rene Jacobs, I'll pay the postage! - Timbo in Oz 13:20:05 01/01/12 (1)

Errr...Sorry, Bad Example - Sibelius 09:56:38 01/03/12 (0)

Fast LvB on modern instruments... - krisjan 07:19:14 12/31/11 (0)

Follow Ups

Seven and Eight................ - Todd Krieger 22:01:01 01/04/12 (0)

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