[.ca] Syms 5/8

Very subjective Beethoven.:
A Furtwanglerian interpretation, full of unorthodox tempi and unnecessary breadth. Very fussy and mannered. Definitely not a first choice. Although Thielemann's control of the orchestra is admirable and the recorded sound is excellent, he manages to purge most of the intensity and excitement out of these 2 warhorses. An amazing achievement, in that respect. Most listeners would be better served by the classic Kleiber recording or any of Karajan's multiple versions.

Terrible Fifth, good Seventh:
Thielemann's approach to the Fifth is similar to that of a public speaker who realizes he is losing his audience, and begins to shout every sentence in a desperate attempt to regain their attention. The performance has no flow and no beauty, just incessant banging. He warms up in the Seventh, and gives one of the better performances on records. It's not one of the truly outstanding performances (those, in my opinion, are by Walter, Solti, Muti, and perhaps Monteux), because the music does not soar or burn with excitement as it does for those conductors. But this Seventh is a performance you can definitely live with.

Living, breathing Beethoven:
No, Thielemann doesn't observe Beethoven's metronome markings to a T. Neither did Toscanini, Mengelberg, Karajan, Bernstein, Busch, Furtwangler, or Klemperer. Music by nature is "subject" to the insights of the interpreter and in this case I happen to love what young Thielemann did with these two works. First the playing of the Philharmonia is extraordinary and the engineers are to be congratulated on excellent sound. But the overall view of these works is that they are living works of art, and speeds and dynamics should rightly increase and decrease along with the natural tension of the music. Although Kleiber's recording is rightly called "legendary", in places I find Kleiber a bit on the cold and detached side. Not Thielemann. He is involved the whole way. I found the Seventh particularly satisfying, especially the final movement which is taken at a quick pace. I've never heard the tuttis and crescendos sound quite so bold. A fine debut recording from this young conductor.

It's okay to make something beautiful:
Unlike the music fan from Columbus I was totally impressed by this recording. These recordings are very inspired and are a great introduction to the wonderful ear and sensitivity of this conductor. I really like conductors that can pull such wonderful sound from orchestras like Mr. Thielemann, Giulini, and yes, Wilhelm Furtwangler. This is beautiful music. My father and I sat in complete concentration, glowing, listening to this recording end to end. Then he immediately ran out and bought a copy. Why settle for a cookie-cutter interpretation? So many people now think it's okay for a conductor to bore people if they get all the timings right from the score. I personally didn't have a score and a metronome in front of me. It may not be a "normal" interpretation but there certainly is a great deal of pleasure in this music, the kind of pleasure someone would listen to classical music for in the first place. But then I am a romantic. I am looking forward to more recordings by Mr. Thielemann. His Schumann 2nd symphony is also really beautiful. Highly recommended.

Decent 5th Symphony/Very Good 7th Symphony:
Naturally comparisons will be made between Thielemann's and the Philharmonia's performances of Beethoven's 5th and 7th symphonies and those of Kleiber and the Vienna Philharmonic. To his credit, Thielemann is a fine young conductor, and the Philharmonia plays just as well as their Viennese peers. However, Thielemann's conducting of the 5th Symphony isn't as inspired as Kleiber's; it seems a bit too slow and subdued for my tastes. However, Thielemann's interpretation of the 7th Symphony is a fine performance, ranking as among the better ones out there (Yet it still falls short of Kleiber's, Harnoncourt's, Bernstein's, or Karajan's.). The sound quality is quite impressive, and with the latest technology available to Deutsche Grammophon, a vast improvement over that for Kleiber and the Vienna Philharmonic. I would prefer rating this recording three and a half stars, but since that isn't possible, I will give it four.

• Symphony No. 5 In C Minor, Op. 67: 1. Allegro con brio
• Symphony No. 5 In C Minor, Op. 67: 2. Andante con moto
• Symphony No. 5 In C Minor, Op. 67: 3. Allegro
• Symphony No. 5 In C Minor, Op. 67: 4. Allegro
• Symphony No. 7 In A Major, Op. 92: 1. Poco sostenuto - Vivace
• Symphony No. 7 In A Major, Op. 92: 2. Allegretto
• Symphony No. 7 In A Major, Op. 92: 3. Presto
• Symphony No. 7 In A Major, Op. 92: 4. Allegro con brio