Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 7

Otto Klemperer

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Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 7 Review

by Blair Sanderson

These live recordings by Otto Klemperer and the Philharmonia Orchestra were made in the fall of 1957 at London's Royal Festival Hall as part of a Beethoven concert series that yielded performances of the full cycle of symphonies and concertos. Testament's reissue of the Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 36, and the Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92, is primarily of interest to connoisseurs of legendary recordings and admirers of Klemperer's Beethoven. So since these performances have much to offer for their musicality and historical importance, even the average listener can gain something from hearing them. Bearing in mind that these recordings are monaural and marred by audience noises and boxy sound quality, it takes attentive listening to get past the faulty reproduction, but the cogent interpretations and the exciting playing found on this disc will reward those who have enough patience. Klemperer takes both symphonies at fairly brisk tempos, and though they are by no means as fast or sharp as some contemporary conductors like to take them, they are far from sluggish. The Philharmonia's playing is clear and reasonably detailed in the limited reproduction. No one should regard these as the only recordings of these pieces to own -- with so many excellent all-digital recordings available, why settle for mono? -- but for those who collect multiple versions of Beethoven's symphonies, this CD is worth consideration.

Track Listing

	Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 36
1	1. Adagio molto - Allegro con brio Ludwig van Beethoven	Otto Klemperer	12:57	Amazon
2	2. Larghetto Ludwig van Beethoven	Otto Klemperer	11:27	Amazon
3	3. Scherzo (Allegro) & Trio Ludwig van Beethoven	Otto Klemperer	03:38	Amazon
4	4. Allegro molto Ludwig van Beethoven	Otto Klemperer	06:53	Amazon
Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92
5	1. Poco sostenuto - Vivace Ludwig van Beethoven	Otto Klemperer	12:28	Amazon
6	2. Allegretto Ludwig van Beethoven	Otto Klemperer	09:06	Amazon
7	3. Presto - Assai meno presto Ludwig van Beethoven	Otto Klemperer	07:50	Amazon
8	4. Allegro con brio Ludwig van Beethoven	Otto Klemperer	07:56	Amazon

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Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 7 Review

Track Listing

Otto Klemperer Discography Browser