Seller's comment :
Klaus Tennstedt - The Great EMI Recordings
Release Date: 06/07/2011
Label: Emi Classics Catalog #: 94433 Spars Code: DDD
Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Robert Schumann, Anton Bruckner, ...
Performer: Jessye Norman, Jorma Hynninen
Conductor: Klaus Tennstedt
Orchestra/Ensemble: London Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Symphony Chorus, London Philharmonic Choir, ...
Number of Discs: 14
Recorded in: Stereo
Length: 15 Hours 52 Mins.
Works on This Recording
1. Symphony no 3 in E flat major, Op. 55 "Eroica" by Ludwig van Beethoven
Conductor: Klaus Tennstedt
Orchestra/Ensemble: London Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1803; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: 1991
Venue: Royal Festival Hall, London
2. Symphony no 6 in F major, Op. 68 "Pastoral" by Ludwig van Beethoven
Conductor: Klaus Tennstedt
Orchestra/Ensemble: London Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1808; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: November 19, 1986
Venue: No.1 Studio, Abbey Road, London
3. Symphony no 8 in F major, Op. 93 by Ludwig van Beethoven
Conductor: Klaus Tennstedt
Orchestra/Ensemble: London Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1812; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: March 27, 1986
Venue: No.1 Studio, Abbey Road, London
4. Creatures of Prometheus, Op. 43 by Ludwig van Beethoven
Conductor: Klaus Tennstedt
Orchestra/Ensemble: London Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1800-1801; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: May 11, 1984
Venue: No.1 Studio, Abbey Road, London
5. Coriolan Overture in C minor, Op. 62 by Ludwig van Beethoven
Conductor: Klaus Tennstedt
Orchestra/Ensemble: London Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1807; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: May 12, 1984
Venue: No.1 Studio, Abbey Road, London
6. Egmont, Op. 84: Overture by Ludwig van Beethoven
Conductor: Klaus Tennstedt
Orchestra/Ensemble: London Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1810; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: May 12, 1984
Venue: No.1 Studio, Abbey Road, London
7. Fidelio, Op. 72: Overture in E major by Ludwig van Beethoven
Conductor: Klaus Tennstedt
Orchestra/Ensemble: London Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1814; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: May 12, 1984
Venue: No.1 Studio, Abbey Road, London
8. German Requiem, Op. 45 by Johannes Brahms
Performer: Jessye Norman (Soprano), Jorma Hynninen (Baritone)
Conductor: Klaus Tennstedt
Orchestra/Ensemble: London Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Symphony Chorus, London Philharmonic Choir
Period: Romantic
Written: 1854-1868; Austria
Date of Recording: August 19-25, 1984
Venue: No.1 Studio, Abbey Road, London
9. Song of Destiny, Op. 54 by Johannes Brahms
Conductor: Klaus Tennstedt
Orchestra/Ensemble: London Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Symphony Chorus, London Philharmonic Choir
Period: Romantic
Written: 1868-1871; Austria
Date of Recording: May 2, 1985
Venue: No.1 Studio, Abbey Road, London
Language: German
10. Symphony no 1 in C minor, Op. 68 by Johannes Brahms
Conductor: Klaus Tennstedt
Orchestra/Ensemble: London Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1855-1876; Austria
Date of Recording: November 22, 1983
Venue: No.1 Studio, Abbey Road, London
11. Symphony no 4 in E flat major, WAB 104 "Romantic" by Anton Bruckner
Conductor: Klaus Tennstedt
Orchestra/Ensemble: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1874; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: December 16, 1881
Venue: Philharmonie, Berlin
Length: 70 Minutes 28 Secs.
12. Symphony no 8 in C minor, WAB 108 by Anton Bruckner
Conductor: Klaus Tennstedt
Orchestra/Ensemble: London Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: November 24-26, 1982
Venue: EMI Abbey Road Studio no 1, London, Engl
Length: 75 Minutes 33 Secs.
13. Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30 by Richard Strauss
Conductor: Klaus Tennstedt
Orchestra/Ensemble: London Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1895-1896; Germany
Date of Recording: March 29, 1982
Venue: No.1 Studio, Abbey Road, London
14. Don Juan, Op. 20 by Richard Strauss
Conductor: Klaus Tennstedt
Orchestra/Ensemble: London Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1888-1889; Germany
Date of Recording: March 29, 1982
Venue: No.1 Studio, Abbey Road, London
15. Tod und Verklärung, Op. 24 by Richard Strauss
Conductor: Klaus Tennstedt
Orchestra/Ensemble: London Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1888-1889; Germany
Date of Recording: March 28, 1982
Venue: No.1 Studio, Abbey Road, London
16. Die Walküre: Ride of the Valkyries by Richard Wagner
Conductor: Klaus Tennstedt
Orchestra/Ensemble: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1856; Germany
Date of Recording: October 6,8,9,1980
Venue: Philharmonie, Berlin, Germany
Length: 5 Minutes 9 Secs.
17. Götterdämmerung: Dawn and Siegfried's Rhine Journey by Richard Wagner
Conductor: Klaus Tennstedt
Orchestra/Ensemble: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1874; Germany
Date of Recording: October 6,8,9,1980
Venue: Philharmonie, Berlin, Germany
Length: 10 Minutes 25 Secs.
18. Götterdämmerung: Siegfried's Funeral Music by Richard Wagner
Conductor: Klaus Tennstedt
Orchestra/Ensemble: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1874; Germany
Date of Recording: October 6,8,9,1980
Venue: Philharmonie, Berlin, Germany
Length: 9 Minutes 37 Secs.
19. Das Rheingold: Entrance of the Gods into Valhalla by Richard Wagner
Conductor: Klaus Tennstedt
Orchestra/Ensemble: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1854; Germany
Date of Recording: October 6,8,9,1980
Venue: Philharmonie, Berlin, Germany
Length: 4 Minutes 42 Secs.
20. Siegfried: Forest Murmurs [Instrumental] by Richard Wagner
Conductor: Klaus Tennstedt
Orchestra/Ensemble: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1871; Germany
Date of Recording: October 6,8,9,1980
Venue: Philharmonie, Berlin, Germany
Length: 6 Minutes 49 Secs.
21. Die Walküre: Leb' wohl..."Farewell and Magic Fire music" by Richard Wagner
Conductor: Klaus Tennstedt
Orchestra/Ensemble: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1856; Germany
Date of Recording: October 6,8,9,1980
Venue: Philharmonie, Berlin, Germany
Length: 7 Minutes 21 Secs.
22. Tannhäuser: Overture by Richard Wagner
Conductor: Klaus Tennstedt
Orchestra/Ensemble: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1845/1861; Germany
Date of Recording: December 15, 1982
Venue: Philharmonie, Berlin, Germany
Length: 15 Minutes 29 Secs.
23. Rienzi: Overture by Richard Wagner
Conductor: Klaus Tennstedt
Orchestra/Ensemble: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1840-1843; Germany
Date of Recording: December 15, 1982
Venue: Philharmonie, Berlin, Germany
Length: 13 Minutes 34 Secs.
24. Lohengrin: Act 1 Prelude by Richard Wagner
Conductor: Klaus Tennstedt
Orchestra/Ensemble: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1847; Germany
Date of Recording: April 16/17, 1983
Venue: Philharmonie, Berlin, Germany
Length: 10 Minutes 16 Secs.
25. Lohengrin: Act 3 Prelude by Richard Wagner
Conductor: Klaus Tennstedt
Orchestra/Ensemble: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1847; Germany
Date of Recording: April 16/17, 1983
Venue: Philharmonie, Berlin, Germany
Length: 2 Minutes 57 Secs.
26. Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg: Act 1 Prelude by Richard Wagner
Conductor: Klaus Tennstedt
Orchestra/Ensemble: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1867; Germany
Date of Recording: April 16/17, 1983
Venue: Philharmonie, Berlin, Germany
Length: 10 Minutes 7 Secs.
27. Symphony no 4 in A major, Op. 90 "Italian" by Felix Mendelssohn
Conductor: Klaus Tennstedt
Orchestra/Ensemble: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1833; Germany
Date of Recording: April 20/22, 1980
Venue: Philharmonie, Berlin
28. Symphony no 9 in C major, D 944 "Great" by Franz Schubert
Conductor: Klaus Tennstedt
Orchestra/Ensemble: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: ?1825-28; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: April 21/22, 1983
Venue: Philharmonie, Berlin
29. Symphony no 9 in E minor, Op. 95/B 178 "From the New World" by Antonín Dvorák
Conductor: Klaus Tennstedt
Orchestra/Ensemble: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1893; USA
Date of Recording: March 14/15, 1984
Venue: Philharmonie, Berlin
30. Háry János, Op. 15: Suite by Zoltán Kodály
Conductor: Klaus Tennstedt
Orchestra/Ensemble: London Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1927; Hungary
Date of Recording: November 26, 1983
Venue: No.1 Studio, Abbey Road, London
31. Lieutenant Kijé Suite, Op. 60 by Sergei Prokofiev
Conductor: Klaus Tennstedt
Orchestra/Ensemble: London Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1934; Paris, France
Date of Recording: November 22/23, 1983
Venue: No.1 Studio, Abbey Road, London
32. Night on the Bare Mountain by Modest Mussorgsky
Conductor: Klaus Tennstedt
Orchestra/Ensemble: London Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1866; Russia
Date of Recording: May 10, 1990
Venue: No.1 Studio, Abbey Road, London
33. Concertstück for 4 Horns and Orchestra in F major, Op. 86 by Robert Schumann
Conductor: Klaus Tennstedt
Orchestra/Ensemble: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1849; Germany
Date of Recording: October 17/18, 1978
Venue: Philharmonie, Berlin
34. Leonore Overture no 3 in C major, Op. 72a by Ludwig van Beethoven
Conductor: Klaus Tennstedt
Orchestra/Ensemble: London Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1805-1806; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: May 11/12, 1984
Venue: No.1 Studio, Abbey Road, London
35. Symphony no 4 in D minor, Op. 120 by Robert Schumann
Conductor: Klaus Tennstedt
Orchestra/Ensemble: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1851; Germany
Date of Recording: April 18,20,22, 1980
Venue: Philharmonie, Berlin
36. Symphony no 3 in E flat major, Op. 97 "Rhenish" by Robert Schumann
Conductor: Klaus Tennstedt
Orchestra/Ensemble: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1850; Germany
Date of Recording: October 18, 1978
Venue: Philharmonie, Berlin
37. Symphony no 1 in D major "Titan" by Gustav Mahler
Conductor: Klaus Tennstedt
Orchestra/Ensemble: Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1888/1896
Date of Recording: June 4, 1990
Venue: Orchestral Hall, Chicago
Notes and Editorial Reviews
You may alight on any of the big symphonies in this collection and find yourself swept along by Tennstedt's power and conviction, although I would particularly commend his energised versions of the two Schumann symphonies and the marvellously fluid and flexible performance of Dvorák's “New World”. Bruckner's grand gestures also ideally suit this most Romantic of conductors.
At this price, this bargain set of 14 CDs could be recommended as a superb introduction for the novice to some of the cornerstones of the Romantic classical canon. It embraces seminal Beethoven symphonies through Schubert, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Brahms, Dvorák, Wagner, Bruckner and Mahler to Strauss. Obviously, these are all in the Austro-Germanic school at the core of Tennstedt's repertoire, although Mussorgsky, Prokofiev and Kodály also get a look in on these well-filled discs. The more seasoned collector will want them as a memento of one whom some would call the last great conductor – with all due respect to Abbado, Gergiev and Temirkanov.
Although occasionally patchy and inconsistent, the greatness of Klaus Tennstedt (1926–1998) is clearly revealed by these recordings; it helps that he is directing some of the finest orchestras of his or any day in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Berlin Philharmonic and his beloved London Philharmonic Orchestra. It has often been said that Tennstedt was best live. Two symphonies here are live recordings; otherwise EMI has made a judicious selection from the studio recordings. For someone who had to be coaxed into the recording studio, Tennstedt was mighty busy for EMI in the mid-1980s. I drew attention in my recent review of his similarly packaged and equally impressive Complete Mahler Symphonies EMI box set to what I might call his tectonic quality; whatever he is conducting is moulded and shaped in function of his overview of the music's structural integrity. Very often, one begins by thinking that Tennstedt has undercooked the tempo and tension a piece requires, only to be ultimately convinced, if not seduced, by the aptness of his pacing; Tennstedt delivers climactic release in his own time.
His beat is not in fact by any means extreme in the Celibidache fashion, although amongst the most daringly slow items here is the Brahms Requiem, which takes risks with etiolated tempi but stays this side of the stodginess that mars Rattle's account with the BPO. I think it's a grand interpretation, far preferable to Gardiner's perkiness and in the tradition of Klemperer, Previn and – my favourite versions – Karajan. As is so often the case with Tennstedt, the metronome will tell you that the speeds are abnormally slow yet he injects momentum and tension when required. A key point for me is “Aber des Herrn Wort” which takes off as it should and the contribution of the two soloists is superb: both Jörma Hynninen and Jessye Norman have big, V8 voices whose majesty and might suit Tennstedt's sepulchral conception. Brahms' First Symphony is played on a comparably large scale. It is not so much slower than my favourite interpretation, which is one of Karajan's later recordings, the live performance at the Royal Festival Hall in 1988 on the Testament label.
Ultimately, Tennstedt's conception of how music from the Central European tradition should be played is all of a piece: he favours a massive solidity, unfailingly beautiful orchestral tone and a constant sense of spiritual profundity. In this, he reminds me very much of Karajan. Just as that conductor has no shortage of detractors, Tennstedt may be criticised for the very features which are virtues to some and flaws to others. I am puzzled by reviewers elsewhere who first confirm Tennstedt's stature in the pantheon of twentieth Century conductors then go on either flatly to excoriate or at least damn with faint praise the bulk of the recordings here. Just as Karajan's insistence upon rich tone from his orchestra was condemned as “superficial”, “bland” and “smooth”, Tennstedt's direction of the LPO and the Berlin Philharmonic may be dismissed as prizing “pure sound” above interpretative novelty; certainly, I was newly struck by the virtuosity of the playing here and its sheer beauty as sound.
Time and again when listening to these discs I found myself warming to Tennstedt's sincerity of utterance. Not everything here is in marmoreal vein: his “Also sprach Zarathustra” is thrilling and takes its place among my preferred versions alongside Karajan and Maazel, while the “A Night on a Bare Mountain” is similarly electric. I have long known and loved the thrust and drive of his 1978 analogue recording of Strauss's mini-masterpiece the “Konzertstück” for four horns and orchestra.
You may alight on any of the big symphonies in this collection and find yourself swept along by Tennstedt's power and conviction, although I would particularly commend his energised versions of the two Schumann symphonies and the marvellously fluid and flexible performance of Dvorák's “New World”. Bruckner's grand gestures also ideally suit this most Romantic of conductors. However, I can understand doubts about the live Mahler symphony. This extends some five or six minutes beyond the norm – although some of that is vociferous applause at the end. Tennstedt uses the extra time to underline a coarser, more menacing mood than he evoked in his more delicate 1978 recording, yet the climax of the fourth movement is heroic, giving full scope to the Chicago brass, and the audience reaction is appropriately enthusiastic. This account by no means bored me and I suspect its measured majesty will grow on me with time. The Beethoven symphonies, however, could be termed conventional in the same way that Günter Wand's Beethoven can seem faceless to some and faithful to others. I find them to be direct and unfussy. The “Eroica” is a live recording from a 1991 performance in the Royal Festival Hall and presses all the right buttons. Both the “Pastoral” and the Eighth are studio recordings: the former is light, sprung and joyful, the latter weighty in traditional mode. Similarly, I find no fault with the overtures which seem to me to be models of concentrated propulsion.
The “Tannhäuser” overture on the second Wagner disc of orchestral excerpts is especially thrilling and powerful; indeed that disc of overtures and preludes is markedly more exciting than the disc of orchestral excerpts from the “Ring”. The playing in the latter is sometimes a tad stodgy, just as Tennstedt's accompaniments to Jessye Norman's Wagner recital album of the same era were uninspired and as such constitute one of this set's few comparative failures, rather as the Mahler Nine on the comparable bargain Mahler box set failed to lift off. The Berlin Philharmonic is for once hardly on form: the strings in “Wotan's Farewell” are decidedly edgy, orchestral tone is often rather coarse and blatty, there are blips in the brass playing and ensemble occasionally goes awry. To compound the disappointment, whoever typeset or proofread the booklet text thinks Wagner wrote something called “Forest Murmers”.
The recording quality on this set is not perhaps the finest; apart from two Schumann items in analogue sound most here are early digital and hence rather opaque, yet still too bright when the sound peaks, with too great a contrast between loud and soft. Nonetheless, the sound is very acceptable, if not on the same level even as the recent spate of bargain box sets in analogue sound from Sony/RCA which are exceptionally full and vivid.
We have the standard EMI bargain box packaging: cardboard sleeves and a booklet containing timing and location details plus a biographical article about the conductor.
- Ralph Moore, MusicWeb International
Produktinfo
DAS VERMÄCHTNIS DES „HIGH-VOLTAGE-MAESTRO“:
DIE „GREAT EMI RECORDINGS“ VON KLAUS TENNSTEDT
Dass man im Mahler-Gedächtnisjahr an Klaus Tennstedt erinnert, hat seinen Grund: Zum einen, weil der 1926 geborene und 1998 verstorbene Musiker im Juni den 85. Geburtstag gefeiert hätte, zum anderen, weil er so sehr mit der Musik Gustav Mahlers verbunden war, dass er sich mit dieser tragischen Figur der Musikgeschichte identifizierte. Zusätzlich zu der großen Veröffentlichung der Mahler-Sinfonien erscheint nun auf 14 CDs Tennstedts restliches großes EMI-Vermächtnis.
Es sind vor allem die drei „großen B“, die jenseits von Mahler Tennstedts Diskografie prägen – und die zeigen, wo Tennstedts Repertoireheimat lag:: In den Vorläufern Beethoven, Brahms und Bruckner, die allesamt in großartigen Aufnahmen vertreten sind. Eine Fülle dieser Einspielungen, die vornehmlich aus den 80er Jahren stammen, entstanden mit den Berliner Philharmonikern – einem Orchester, dem Tennstedt künstlerisch eng verbunden war. Doch auch die internationale Seite ist dokumentiert: Die Amerikaner bejubelten den aus der DDR geflohenen Pultstar, der so gar nicht dem Klischee des braven Kapellmeisters entsprach, als „High-Voltage-Maestro“. Mahlers Erste funkensprühend live mit dem Chicago Symphony Orchestra von 1990 lässt erleben, was damit gemeint ist. Ein Glanzpunkt auch Brahms „Deutsches Requiem“ mit Jessye Norman sowie die Ausschnitte aus Wagners „Ring“. Von immenser Orchesterkultur geprägt zeigen sich Dvořàks Neunte, Tondichtungen von Richard Strauss, Wagner-Vorspiele und Ouvertüren, Schumanns Sinfonien Nr. 3 und 4 sowie Werke von Kodály und Prokofieff.
