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Beethoven - Symphony No. 9 & Piano Concerto No. 2 / Abbado, Pletnev, Berlin Philharmonic

Beethoven - Symphony No. 9 & Piano Concerto No. 2 / Abbado, Pletnev, Berlin Philharmonic

List Price: $24.99
Your Price: $22.49
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A STUNNING PERFORMANCE-PLAY IT ALL DAY AND AGAIN
Review: I SAY, NOW AND FOREVER,THIS RENDITION IS THE MOST SPECTACULAR PIECE OF ART FORM ALLOWED THE MASSES THAT WILL STAND THE TEST OF TIME. IN FACT, TIME WILL WISH TO BEND "ALBERT EINSTEIN" TO LET US HAVE MORE TIME TO ASSIMILATE THE NUANCES UPON NUANCES DELICATELY PLACED THROUGHOUT THIS PERFORMANCE.

THIS MAN, MUST PLAY AGAIN...

DR.MARIO T.SCADUTO Ph.D., M.B.T.
FEDERAL EXPERT WITNESS
INTERNATIONAL NOBEL WITNESS MINION

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A STUNNING PERFORMANCE-PLAY IT ALL DAY AND AGAIN
Review: I SAY, NOW AND FOREVER,THIS RENDITION IS THE MOST SPECTACULAR PIECE OF ART FORM ALLOWED THE MASSES THAT WILL STAND THE TEST OF TIME. IN FACT, TIME WILL WISH TO BEND "ALBERT EINSTEIN" TO LET US HAVE MORE TIME TO ASSIMILATE THE NUANCES UPON NUANCES DELICATELY PLACED THROUGHOUT THIS PERFORMANCE.

THIS MAN, MUST PLAY AGAIN...

DR.MARIO T.SCADUTO Ph.D., M.B.T.
FEDERAL EXPERT WITNESS
INTERNATIONAL NOBEL WITNESS MINION

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: No, no, Mr Abbado. This Ninth won't do!
Review: If there is a point to agree with Fritz, it is damn true;in Beethoven's Ninth, there is no Berliner Philharmoniker. Abbado handles the orchestra in Beethoven's Ninth like a student orchestra. Not that there is technical flaws there, you can't get bummer "chicken notes" from a clarinet or a "farthing" horn in such an orchestra of class like Berliner Philharmoniker, but any Berliner devotee will tell you it simply isn't their sound. There is numb, empty display of majestic strength, they simply sound like a chamber orchestra. Or was it simply Abbado's fault? Well it is unevitable since the start of the fourth movement shocked me; the rushing of flute and piccolo istead of thundering blasts from trumpets, how Beethoven would be infuriated by his trumpets playing such a secondary role in this recording.

No doubt, the delicate attention to nuances and phrasing is there, but there must be an excuse for people like me to give Abbado a thumbs down, or ask any anti-Abbado. The pastoral movement is simply too fast to a degree of absuridity and the Berliners ignored the "non troppo" instruction. There's simply no Beethoven even to say, and like any Abbado recording I've heard, it is always "Claudio Abbado" spirit instead of vice-versa. Of course, that statement above is simply sarcasm as Abbado proved me wrong with his handling of Concerto no 2. Probably means why this DVD got three-stars, but it is only TWO, if not for a bonus package of Berliner's ensamble demonstration which no hardcore classical fan should miss. Another warning worth mention is if you dare to risk your hard-earned money on this DVD, be prepared for bear Mr Eike's "O, Freunde..." and so on and so on.

"THIS MAN, MUST PLAY AGAIN..."

Pray tell dear Sir, have you listen to Furtwangler's?

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Big disappointment.
Review: Not being a professional concert critic, I feel, I have sufficient music education to write this review. If this concert would have been performed by any other orchestras I would not bother to write a review of this performance. I was born in Berlin and was indeed fortunate to be able to listen to this fantastic orchestra for a long time. In the 1920th under Bruno Walter, Hans Knappertsbusch and Otto Klemperer, in th 1930th under Eugen Jochum, Erich Kleiber and of course Wilhelm Furtwaengler and after the war In the Titania Palace under their new chef, Sergiu Celibidache. And no matter who conducted, the sound was always the same, the sound of the berliner Philharmoniker. Unfortunately today in my humble opinion the sound was not there. And when finally Mr. Eike Wilm Schulte stood up to sing "O Freunde, nicht diese Toene! sondern lasst uns angenehmere anstimmen und freudenvollere" I know atleast for me, this was a sad music experience. But not all was lost. I thoroughly anjoyned an exceptional great performance of Beethovens second piano concert by Mikhail Pletnev.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: buy it for the piano concerto
Review: This interpretation of Beethoven's 9th left me hoping for more and a bit disappointed, knowing that Abbado can do better and has done better on this piece (the recording that is included in his complete Beethoven cycle with the BPO is much superior). Having said that: Abbado and the BPO are never really BAD, by all means, and what really makes this DVD worthwhile is the absolutely out-of-this world, stellar, mega-rendition of Beethoven's second piano concerto. Pletnev is in a league of his own and confers a lightness of touch to this piece that I have seldom heard. He is in perfect touch with the orchestra and the BPO once again shines as maybe the worlds greatest orchestra, absolutely phantastic.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Beethoven's 9th celebrated!
Review: What an outstanding piece of work. If you have a surround sound
system, you'll love it. Simply marvelous. Sit back, Crank it up,and enjoy!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Beethoven's 9th celebrated!
Review: What an outstanding piece of work. If you have a surround sound
system, you'll love it. Simply marvelous. Sit back, Crank it up,and enjoy!


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