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RE: jos van immerseel beethoven 9th

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In Reply to: RE: jos van immerseel beethoven 9th posted by theob on August 16, 2010 at 07:29:22

I'm not sure I would qualify as a fan, but I have heard Immerseel's Beethoven cycle and I would guess you'll probably like it quite a lot if you enjoyed the 9th.

I would say the Immerseel/Aenima Eterna cycle is one of the better HIP LvB sets. As you'd expect, textures are relatively light, tempos on the fast side (but nothing too egregious, with the possible exception of the 6th), but the band plays pretty stylishly for a HIP group, with none of the ascetic quality you sometimes get. I quite liked 1, 3, and 5. As for the 9th, that's the one symphony of the set that I have a hard time listening to most HIP versions--for me, it's the one piece where a big orchestral sound and a Romantic sense of rhetoric seems essential. So I wasn't crazy about the Immerseel 9th, but then I'm not sure I could name a HIP 9th I like. (Maybe Gardiner's? )

Anyway, I'd encourage you to check out the cycle. Also Immerseel's Mozart.

Follow Ups:

RE: jos van immerseel beethoven 9th - Bob Neill 16:55:54 08/16/10 (0)
I like Immerseel's set but agree about the Ninth, which never quite makes it with period instruments. Richard Taruskin praised several but conceded that in the end the lighter sound can't help but trivialize the music. Another way of saying what you said.
What is HIP? nt - theob 11:34:42 08/16/10 (3)
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- RE: What is HIP? nt - M. Lucky 13:06:22 08/16/10 (1)
  As Chris has said, "historically informed performance." In this case, Aenima Eterna, the group in the Immerseel recording, is using "period" instruments, which are in many cases significantly different than their modern equivalents, as well as "period" instrumental practices, which can include tunings that are different than we're used to now. Also, most HIP performances of Beethoven are faster than we might be used to, as they usually try to follow Beethoven's metronome markings in the score, and they're pretty fast! If you're unfamiliar with the differences, you might compare your Immerseel recording with, say, one of the classic recordings from Szell or Karajan and notice the differences in tempo and tone.
  
  Opinions vary on HIP, to say the least. You'll find lots of venom among the anti-HIP, as if musicians following period practices were commiting a crime against music or something. But many of us appreciate the contributions that have come from HIP musicians, and I personally think the best Beethoven of the past couple decades has come from musicians influenced by period practice but not necessarily using all period instruments or techniques (I'm thinking of people like Harnoncourt and Abbado). But to each his own: there are Beethoven recordings to suit every taste.
  - RE: What is HIP? nt - theob 16:08:08 08/16/10 (0)
    Thank you. I really like this recording/performance. I think I'll get the set.
- Historically Informed Performance [nt] - Chris from Lafayette 12:43:24 08/16/10 (0)

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