Beethoven: Symphony No.5, etc. (BPO/Furtwängler)

Beethoven: Overture to Egmont, Overture to Coriolan*, Symphony No.5
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra; Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra*/Wilhelm Furtwängler
Opus Kura OPK 2037 | Mono ADD

Wilhelm Furtwängler's skepticism of the virtues of recording is infamous. One thinks of his Decca recording of the Brahms Second Symphony. What should have been a stunning showcase recording (just think of it--Furtwängler in a Full Frequency Range Recording!) turned out to be arguably his worst studio recording. Second guessing his Decca studio engineers, he refused to conduct a single note until the recording team had removed the offending "Decca tree" from his sight and replaced it with a single microphone a la Friedrich Schnapp. The result was a recording that sounded like sonic sludge; an embarrassment to Decca's hi-fi reputation. He was no easier for HMV to handle. His tempestuous relationship with Walter Legge has become the stuff of legend. Unlike Stokowski, Mengelberg, and von Karajan, among others, Furtwängler failed to grasp how recording was usurping the concert experience in importance. Erratic in the studio, he could churn out some surprisingly indifferent recordings. This is not one of them.

If this should be the only recording of the Beethoven Fifth you'll ever hear, you would be set for life. Words can barely describe this recording. Blazing out with primal strength, this is a recording that feels so utterly right. From beginning to end, not a single note feels out of place; not a false step is taken. This isn't Beethoven as a mere sum of notes. This is Beethoven encompassing an entire universe in its staves. Laughter and joy; anger and pain. If you aren't gasping for air when the final chord dies out, you might want to check your pulse.

The two accompanying overtures are nearly as good though better versions exist. The Polydor Egmont is quite fine, but there is an even better one recorded at his first post-war BPO concert that is. Vienna's fabled Philharmonic is the star in this Coriolan. Very good, but his war time BPO broadcast is one of the best ever recordings of this overture.

Opus Kura's sound is magnificent. Honest transfers that retain the fullness and breadth of the original 78's. Best of all is the Electrola recording of the Fifth: dark, rich, and vibrant.

Playing time on this CD is a bit short, but why complain? Here's a chance to listen to one of the 20th century's greatest recordings.