Editorial Reviews

The first thing to say about this hefty 85-CD box set is what an astonishing bargain it is. For about a dollar and a half per disc, or the cost of a few months of basic cable TV, you can own recordings of every score Ludwig van Beethoven wrote -- including, of course, some of the greatest monuments of Western classical music. The second point is that, despite Brilliant Classics' budget price, there's very little compromise in quality. The performances are by and large excellent, assembled with care to match thrift with high artistic standards, and you'll be surprised by how many first-rank performers are represented, including some of the finest Beethoven interpreters of the last 50 years. The bulk of the set consists of recordings licensed from other labels (many from Universal Classics' vast out-of-print holdings) and range in date from the 1950s up to the present day. Cherry-picking highlights is a challenge in a collection of this breadth, so let's start right at the top: Kurt Masur and the venerable Gewandhaus Orchestra performing the nine magnificent symphonies. Recorded in 1974, these are compelling and stimulating accounts, and their lack of idiosyncrasies makes them a fine choice for first-timers. Henryk Szeryng's 1973 Violin Concerto, with Bernard Haitink leading the Concertgebouw Orchestra, is similarly persuasive, while Arthur Grumiaux and Clara Haskil offer distinguished readings of the violin sonatas -- although the constricted mid-'50s sound quality will be a turn-off to some. Counterbalancing this drawback are Heinrich Schiff's and Till Fellner's singing performances of the cello sonatas, superbly recorded in 1998 with modern digital technology. Moving down the list of masterworks, the Guarneri Quartet's accounts of the string quartets are competitive with the best available, while the Borodin Trio offers richly Romantic, satisfying interpretations of the piano trios, on recordings licensed from Chandos. The solo piano music is equally strong, with Friedrich Gulda's invigorating set of the piano sonatas, originally released on Amadeo in the '60s, and, from the same era, Alfred Brendel's technically immaculate performances of the piano variations, first issued on Vox. The large-scale works impress nearly as much, with Colin Davis leading the London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in the splendid Missa Solemnis and Christoph von Dohnanyi directing an all-German-speaking cast in Fidelio, Beethoven's only opera. Filling out the comprehensive set are brand-new recordings of seldom-heard folksongs, canons, and other curiosities, alongside a large inventory of chamber music, dances, overtures, and lots more that must remain unmentioned. Housed in a sturdy cardboard box, the CDs are enclosed in space-saving slip sleeves and include a companion CD-ROM (PC only) with libretti and liner notes. For aficionados, it goes without saying that some performances won't measure up to personal favorites, but for the average listener or local library, you won't find a better buy. Still hesitating? Consider this: If you tried to purchase this set track-by-track at the standard download price, you wouldn't get past disc 13 before the cost surpassed this incredible deal. [Note: Brilliant Classics has also realeased complete Mozart and Bach editions, with even lower per-disc costs.] EJ Johnson, Barnes & Noble

Customer Reviews

• Listener Rating:
• Ratings: 4Reviews: 4
• See All Reviews

More Customer Reviews