Ludwig van Beethoven
(1770-1827)
Symphony No.5 in C minor, Op.67

Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy
(1809-1847)
Symphony No.4 in A, Op.90 “Italian”

BBC Symphony Orchestra
(Beethoven)
Boston Symphony Orchestra (Mendelssohn)
conducted by:
Sir Colin Davis

Recorded: London, Walthamstow Town Hall, 12/1974
Boston, Symphony Hall, 1/1976
Producer: Vittorio Negri

DSD remastered

Beethovens Giant

The fact that, in his simply gigantic symphonic oeuvre,Ludwig van Beethoven presented musical posterity with an almost insoluble mystery, is not in the last place due to Richard Wagner's famous assertion, according to which no-one was able to write symphonies after Beethoven. This frequently quoted statement is supported by the uniquely classical character of that genre, which Beethoven crafted in such a unique manner. The result was a tendency to heroize and mythicize the composer, based both on the appreciation of the brilliant development of structure of the form handed down and on the humanistic, idealised principle of "per aspera ad astra", with its message of optimism and hope. No other work embodies this principle as perfectly as Beethoven‘s Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67, the so-called "Schicksalssymphonie" (Fate Symphony), which is ranked alongside his Symphony No. 9 among the classics in the history of music. Up to the present day, Beethoven‘s fame and significance remain intact, both in the concert hall and as the subject of academic discussions. Just how strongly Beethoven‘s superiority was felt by later generations of composers, is proven by the fact that even Bruckner and Brahms, who were probably the most important symphonic composers of the late 19th century, did not publish their first symphonic works until they had reached the age at which Beethoven had already written eight of his nine symphonies.
Beethoven wrote his Symphony No. 5 during a period of four long years (the first sketches date from 1803/04 until 1806/07) and during this time he subjected the work to a series of far-reaching alterations. Purely formal descriptions would not be sufficient to allow one to begin to understand his Fifth Symphony. Far more significant is the appellative character of the work, which draws the listener into the vortex, as it were, of what is happening in the music, which makes him part of the whole. The first movement of the Fifth Symphony opens with the famous pounding four-note motif in C minor, which in its virtually trivial monumentality forms the point of departure for a compelling thematic development, which from the first second onwards is totally oriented towards the Finale and the solution therein. The melodic second theme is almost squashed in this monothematic alignment. The Andante con moto is strongly contrasted to the first movement: here Beethoven emphasises the difference between the first and second themes by means of a mixture of elements taken from variation and sonata forms. The third movement (Allegro) did not achieve its definitive form until a late stage of composition and its function is actually less that of an independent movement than an expansively drawn-out lead-in to the Finale, in which the listener continuously experiences the overwhelming resurgence of the radiant and redeeming C major.
Quite in contrast to this is Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy‘s Symphony No. 4 in A, Op. 90, known as his Italian Symphony. The idea of the work, completed in 1833 (of which, by the way, there is no authorised version in existence!) is based on a journey, as was his Scottish Symphony. Mendelssohn began working on his impressions of his journey while in Rome and Naples (1830/31), but only completed the work two years later for its 1833 premiere in London, which he himself was to conduct. Mendelssohn also found the burden of Beethoven‘s symphonies hard to bear. Nevertheless, together with his Scottish Symphony, his Italian Symphony marked the "beginning of a new age of the symphony. As 'travel symphonies', their underlying theme is the discovery of foreign parts and the experience of the unknown. [...] No, both the 'Scottish' and the 'Italian' mark the overcoming of the Beethoven trauma and both rank as epochal works in the literature of the symphony, thanks to their nationalistic-romantic tone" (Steinbeck).

“This new PentaTone SACD/DC offers better sound quality than Kleiber's LP which has some overemphasis in the treble range, very noticeably so in the louder passages…. Here we have a fine interpretation by Colin Davis with excellent orchestral playing and equally fine recording. An impressive start for these "new PentaTone recordings. A high recommendation for a great symphony plus a welcome bonus!
The bonus, as you probably have guessed, is Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 4, "The Italian". It may not be a great symphony as with one or more of Beethoven's, but it is quite outstanding. To call it delightful is not to do full justice. It is much more than that. Many regard it as his masterpiece.
Sir Colin Davis here performs it as well as I remember ever hearing performed, live or recorded. I can easily imagine that someone such as Beecham, Monteux or even Dorati might have been able to do even better in the subtly beautiful lyrical and melodic sections, but if they've not done it yet, it is not going to happen.”
---Karl Lozier, Enjoy the Music.com“

This Beethoven is a prime example of Davis’ art at the time. Recorded in 1974, it is bold and sharply detailed. The first movement is taken at just the right speed, the "fate" motif hammered out dramatically every time it appears. The second movement is exceptionally lyrical, with heroic interludes from the commanding brass section. The scherzo is exciting and buoyant, the quiet transition to the finale magnificently mysterious, the finale itself magisterial and dramatic without becoming bombastic. I somehow missed this recording when it first came out on LP, but now it has become one of my favorite versions. The Mendelssohn "Italian," recorded two years later in Boston, is a radiant, sunny reading, marred only by a first movement that seems just a tad slow, cautious, and earth bound.
Overall, the Beethoven is the best multichannel symphonic recording I have heard so far, besting anything 5.1, and the extra bits provided by the SACD format insure that I can listen to it all day without a trace of listener fatigue. It sounds good as a two-channel SACD, by the way, but kicking in those rears really makes it fly. The music making and engineering on this disc are of demonstration caliber.”
---Rad Bennett,Soundstage (April 2004)

“The performances of two of the most venerable warhorses in the symphonic repertoire sound as fresh and vibrant in their SACD reincarnations as if heard for the first time. The Beethoven builds a nice sense of the ominous in the tap-tapping of the percussion and the slow accompaniment in the basses in the scherzo movement, just before all hell breaks loose in the finale. And the Mendelssohn opens and closes with bold sweeping rhythms that help paint a colorful landscape of Italy. Even though I have more versions of the "Italian" on my CD shelf than any other symphony, there is always room for one more of this calibre.”
---Dr. Phil Muse,Classik Reviews (May 2004)