The Bernstein Century - Beethoven: Symphony no 3 'Eroica' / Bernstein, New York PO

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com essential recording
Just what was the Leonard Bernstein phenomenon all about? This disc--part of Sony's ongoing series of reissued performances from the conductor's years with the New York Philharmonic--goes a long way toward recapturing at least two aspects of his protean musical career. Bernstein's astonishing powers of communication as both conductor and teacher permeate this account of the landmark Eroica Symphony (recorded in one day in 1964 under legendary producer John McClure); filling out the disc is a lengthy excerpt from his broadcast discussion of the work, "How a Great Symphony Was Written." The charismatic rapport between Bernstein and his New York colleagues crackles with live-wire intensity. Throughout, the sense of excitement in bringing Beethoven's untamable profusion of ideas to life is unjaded. Indeed, it's easy to imagine Bernstein exhorting his players to the explosive power of the score with such descriptions as he later uses in his analysis: the explosive opening chords as "whiplashes of sound," the new theme in the development section "like a song of pain after the holocaust," the evocation of struggle, and--above all--the constant surprises that nevertheless ring with inevitable truth. Bernstein masterfully conveys both deep focus and the larger epic and architectural structure of the symphony but never dams its brimming energy--what a contrast from the mannered style that the conductor would manifest later in his career. It's an extraordinarily inspired performance that does justice to the Promethean range of this music. For a fascinating interpretation of the Eroica in terms of Beethoven's larger political and aesthetic vision, take a look at the Cambridge Music Handbook by Thomas Sipe. --Thomas May

Tracks:

Symphony No. 3 In E Flat Major, Op. 55: I. Allegro Con Brio
Symphony No. 3 In E Flat Major, Op. 55: II. Marcia Funebre. Adagio Assai
Symphony No. 3 In E Flat Major, Op. 55: III. Scherzo, Allegro Vivace
Symphony No. 3 In E Flat Major, Op. 55: IV. Finale. Allegro Molto
Symphony No. 3 In E Flat Major, Op. 55: How A Great Symphony Was Written

Amazon.com essential recording

Just what was the Leonard Bernstein phenomenon all about? This disc--part of Sony's ongoing series of reissued performances from the conductor's years with the New York Philharmonic--goes a long way toward recapturing at least two aspects of his protean musical career. Bernstein's astonishing powers of communication as both conductor and teacher permeate this account of the landmark Eroica Symphony (recorded in one day in 1964 under legendary producer John McClure); filling out the disc is a lengthy excerpt from his broadcast discussion of the work, "How a Great Symphony Was Written." The charismatic rapport between Bernstein and his New York colleagues crackles with live-wire intensity. Throughout, the sense of excitement in bringing Beethoven's untamable profusion of ideas to life is unjaded. Indeed, it's easy to imagine Bernstein exhorting his players to the explosive power of the score with such descriptions as he later uses in his analysis: the explosive opening chords as "whiplashes of sound," the new theme in the development section "like a song of pain after the holocaust," the evocation of struggle, and--above all--the constant surprises that nevertheless ring with inevitable truth. Bernstein masterfully conveys both deep focus and the larger epic and architectural structure of the symphony but never dams its brimming energy--what a contrast from the mannered style that the conductor would manifest later in his career. It's an extraordinarily inspired performance that does justice to the Promethean range of this music. For a fascinating interpretation of the Eroica in terms of Beethoven's larger political and aesthetic vision, take a look at the Cambridge Music Handbook by Thomas Sipe. --Thomas May

Customer Reviews:

A Benchmark Eroica.......2007-01-19

Few single works of art have assumed so crucial a role -- crucial in the etymological sense, of being "at the crux"-- as Beethoven's Third Symphony. It was one of the greatest leaps forward in the entire history, not only of compostion, but in the arts in general. Yet on examining the symphony, its revolutionary nature is bodied forth in a myriad of smaller touches and a handful of huge masterstrokes. It was the longest symphony written to that date by a considerable margin. Though its scoring was quite conventional-- strings, pairs of flutes, oboes, bassoons, clarinets, trumpets, timpani, and three horns (Mozart and Haydn both had used more than two horns occasionally before), it was how Beethoven deployed them that was revolutionary. The recording on this disc was at one time released coupled with Bernstein's rendition of Beethoven's First Symphony-- and that was instructive, as the spiritual ground covered between the first, dated 1800, and the Third, dated 1804, is immense: it is like Beethoven is speaking a different language, despite the similarities of structure. All four movements of the Eroica are startling, but the first movement is the most so: indeed, it is in the innovations in this Protean movement that the revolutionary nature of Beethoven's art is established. This originality begins with the very first page: the movement begins with two gigantic chords, which Bernstein rightly calls "whipslashes"-- they are both economical and rhetorical, and also serve a technical function: they establish the downbeats that echo throughout the gentle and unstressed pulsations that start below with first theme. The theme is Protean also: it begins by outlining the tonic chord-- the basic harmonic material of tonality-- but then almost as if it gets derailed, after 8 notes on the tonic chord, it drops to the leading tone (D) and then to a note that properly has no place in the "world" of the key of E-flat Major, namely a C-sharp. Much of the rest of the movement is, essentially, an exorcism of, or more precisely, a massaging out, of this "sore thumb" note, which dominates much of the development section to come (relabelled as D-flat). As the opening tune, up to the intrusion of the C-sharp, is essentially a horn call, adding that note is also aberrant (horns of the time in C or F would not have been able to play it!). The second group begins with a seemingly innocuous tripping figure of downward moving dotted three-note groups. This downward droop, in fact, is a reflection of the droop down to C-sharp in the first statement of the first subject; this theme will also paradoxically inaugurate the most turbulent and violent moment in the enormous development section, where the cadential six fortes near the end of the exposition become frank dissonances, and then seem to stalk off, where follows a "new theme". This "new theme" is often cited as an innovation-- you weren't supposed to add a "new theme" in the development (a "rule" that Haydn and Mozart "broke" rather often). But the genius of it is that what seems to be a new theme is in fact a hybrid, a melding of elements from the first subject and the second. (Listen to it-- you will hear aspects of both in it, yet also recognize it as still "new"-- paradoxical also, maybe, but what genius!) This "new theme" returns in the coda later. Some of Beethoven's little stokes have caused some of the most comment: the premonitory horncall of the main theme a measure before the recapitulation (not to mention the irruption of duple time near the end of the Scherzo). But among Beethoven's greatest achievements in this monumental first movement is that it is both spiritual and stirring, utterly intellectually satisfying and rationally structured yet seeming an organic whole, seeming at once both gigantic and yet utterly economical and even terse in pursuing its logic...

Well! I could go on and on, about the amazing Marcia Funebre (one of the two most famous ever written, the other being Chopin's from his B Minor Sonata-- but this by Beethoven is so much finer!)(Bernstein says that it is perfect, as if it were dictated from heaven!)-- the brief mercurial Scherzo with its wonderful horn-calling Trio (horn calls haunt this symphony!) and the monumental Theme and Variations of the finale... but I want to say a word about the performance:

Another reviewer has said that this version is a "sedate" one. I disagree. First of all, I don't look for edgy performances, but performances that try to realize the composer's vision (so to speak!)-- and Bernstein's is perfect. It is very much in the tradition, I think, of Toscanini, and (as with Bernstein's equally magisterial 1960s renditions of the Fifth and Sixth and Seventh) it is in my opinion the greatest actualization of Beethoven's score on record. I often find that too many conductors, in striving to be avant-garde or cutting edge, or to find something of their own in the score, really misread or even distort it. If one wants a fine recording which presents Beethoven's great symphony as he intended it, I cannot think of a better performance.

A note to folks new to classical music: this music must be listened to as a primary activity: no distractions. Turn off the phone, land or cell. Sit comfortably upright in a room that is dim but not dark. Let others in the household know not to disturb you or even enter the room. Sit with your eyes not quite closed. And turn the music up LOUD!!! Even better, if you have fine headphones, use them-- you will hear all the details in this intricate music so much the clearer. Then: REALLY LISTEN-- actively pay attention to the music-- and it will take you on an amazing journey! You will be rewarded with a great artistic experience!

A surprisingly moderate Eroica, but an historic one.......2005-11-13

When Leonard Bernstein hit the airwaves to tell a burgeoning youth generation that the Eroica existed and was great, he altered cultural life for the baby boomers--including me. We were kids when we met this charismatic teacher on TV, and from that moment on a bond was formed between a conductor and millions of worshipful fans. The later phase of Bernstein's life would cause us a good deal of disillusionment, but no matter. There was a golden age of musical bliss at the start.

Rehearing this famous 1964 recordings, in excellent, wide-ranging sound, proves that memory is faulty. Despite the slashing chords at the opening, Bernstein's is a moderate view of the score. The tempos are roughly the same as Karajan's from 1962, and that reading, too, is moderate in retrospect. What made LB's so special was that he was an Americanmaestro. Even though Bernstein was conducting the Boston Sym. by 1943 or so, that orchestra didn't hire an American-born chief conductor until 2004 when Jame Levine took the podium. Classical music belonged so dominantly to Europeans that it made headlines when two native-born musicians, Bernstein and Van Cliburn, each broke the culture barrier.

Because it was a breakthrough, memory has turned this Eroica into a dynamic, youthful, outspoken reading when in fact it isn't. Bernstein stays at mezzo-forte quite a lot; there are no great leaps of dynamic impact, and his phrasing isn't particularly detailed. The music can sound almost routine in stretches. Arguably Bernstien wasn't in the same expressive league as Furtwangler and Klemperer, who made something deeper and more intense of the Beethoven Third. Even so, this is first-rate "American" Beethoven and stands on a par with, or just below, Karajan's 1962 reading. Five stars as a cultural milestone.

A Definite Buy!!!!!.......2004-12-28

I'm not too much of a fan of Lenny on Beethoven, as I am of Lenny on Mahler, but this recording of Beethoven's "Eroica" Symphony was SUPER!!!!! Definitely one of the best performances ever out of all conductors past and present (sure it's not as demanding as the charismatic Karajan or the classic-minded Furtwrangler), and certainly one of the best of the Beethoven symphonies Lenny has done throughout his career, Sony or DG. The tempo is full of energy and never too sluggish, the balance of the orchestra between sections is there, good sound quality too. As much as you like this performance, you will love Lenny's brief lecture on "How a Great Symphony was Written" (only the first movement, unfortunatly).

A definite buy!!!!!

Surprise! A Truly Great Eroica!.......2004-01-24

Gustav Mahler once told Bruno Walter: "Nothing can matter less
than what the critics in this town have to say," and that, frequently, was true in the case of Leonard Bernstein.
It comes as no surprise that Lenny's discussion of Beethoven's
creative genius in making the "Eroica" is informative and insightful. Bernstein was the most masterful teacher of music
we had. But the real revelation here is his performance of this great work. It crackles and sings with vitality and is devoid
of the stylistic excesses Bernstein indulged in late in his career. The pacing of the movements, the shaping of every phrase
and the weight of the dynamics all blend perfectly to make this
one of the best "Eroica" symphonies on record. It outshines Solti's, and is so much better than Karajan's, both in its pacing and in its clarity, that to compare the two recordings is
just silly. Only Toscanini's 1952 performance rivals this one
in its faithfulness and brilliance.
For anyone who ever doubted Lenny's credentials as a great conductor, or wondered what all the fuss was about, leave your
preconceptions at the door and check this out!

Double Delight.......2002-09-28

Looking for a version of Symphony No. 3 I didn't own, I stumbled onto this treasure. We find here not only a marvelously performed Eroica, but Leonard Bernstein explaining--note for note at times, sometimes banging a piano and yelling out the notes--just what Ludwig was doing here in the symphony that changed music as the world knew it then. This is a first-rate treatment of a great (the greatest?) symphony and an exposition worthy of belonging in any Beethovian's collection. Brilliant all round.

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