Amazon.co.jp:Customer Reviews: Beethoven Collection 1-5: Symphonies 1-9

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DJ Rix

Servicable, well-recorded introduction. to the Master.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 26, 2001

Verified Purchase

Let's see. The John Eliot Gardner "period" cycle goes for about sixty bucks, this one for sixteen. I love John Eliot Gardner's Missa Solemnis, & I enjoyed the couple of his Beethoven symphonies I've caught on the radio. So why is it that I have Giulini's 7th, Klemperer's old school booming 4th, Szell's crisp 5th, a treasured complete set on Deutsche Grammophon vinyl by Karl Bohm given to me as birthday gift years ago? What attracted me to the ancient Seraphin Cluytens/Berlin Philharmonic 9th? Probably because I detest "the latest is the greatest because it's the latest" standards of musical purity & enjoy the concepts & idiosyncrasies of conductors from different recording eras & cultures. Good heavens, this music is 200 years old!! It stopped sounding the way Beethoven wanted it to sound the first time the old man stepped up to the podium & couldn't hear the band.
I was familiar with good reputations of Ferencsik & the Hungarian Philharmonic in the Eastern European & Russian musical marketplace, particularly with Eastern European music - some of it available here at ridiculously low prices, & almost totally ignored. True, Ferencsik conducts in the Toscanini "It's my ballgame 'cause I brought the ball" tradition. But these are more than servicable, well-recorded interpretations for newcomers want to become familiar with all nine, then move up to more individualist performances of the symphonies that most attract them. It's also an excellent addition to one's portable CD player library. Today, I left the house at the beginning of the 3th, went to the supermarket, & arrived home just as the 8th was ending - all on one CD.

33 people found this helpful

Paul W.

Value for money set - recommended for beginners only

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 19, 2005

Verified Purchase

Received my set from Amazon recently and it arrived in excellent condition. Since then, I have moved on to 2 other Beethoven Symphonies sets by other conductors because I discovered that I really liked the symphonies.

If you have even the slightest suspicion that you might enjoy the symphonies, it is best to bypass this and invest in much better sets instead, like the critically acclaimed 'Beethoven: The Nine Symphonies' by David Zinman (ASIN: B00000IFP6) or the 1963 set 'Beethoven: 9 Symphonien' by Herbert von Karajan (ASIN: B000001GBQ) or even both, like I did.

The Zinman edition is newer (1998) and the first to be recorded using the critical Barenreiter edition, whereas the 1963 Karajan edition has been widely acknowledged as one of the very best edition of the Symphonies ever produced until today. These 2 sets sound sufficiently different from each other to warrant owning both, and either is far, far superior in terms of soundstaging, warmth and lushness compared to this budget version, which appeared clinically dry.

Nevertheless, this set still represents excellent value for money, and is perfectly suitable for the beginner who is unsure whether he/she will appreciate the 9 Symphonies.

70 people found this helpful

Ignis

Wow, just wow

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 18, 2014

Verified Purchase

Have the Herbert Kegel set also and while it's very nice in the big, standard late Romantic style this set is a revelation. Not period instruments but period tempos (Beethoven's own metronome markings). It really shows how performance interpretation standards have changed over time in regard to these works (and, by implication, to much of the literature; remember the story of Mozart telling performers taking the slow movement of one of his piano concertos too slowly - "Andante! Andante! I write andantes, not adagios!")

Mr Ferencsik's ripping through these symphonies at such breakneck speed is tremendously exciting and, while it's only natural, at such speeds, that some detail is occasionally lost, the orchestra acquits itself most admirably throughout.

Certainly glad I took a chance on these.

6 people found this helpful

musicalement vôtre

Une grande intégrale !!!

Reviewed in France 🇫🇷 on February 28, 2021

Verified Purchase

Un chef d'orchestre peu connu mais une très grande intégrale avec un grand orchestre Hongrois en bonus une excellente prise de son !!!
Musicalement Vôtre

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jdmcox

Unbeatable for the price, but...

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 18, 2004

Verified Purchase

I only listened to the 6th symphony before I wrote this, but I can presume it shows Janos Ferencsik's feel of Beethoven's music. I've had a couple of other versions of Beethoven's complete symphonies: Toscannini and someone else on CD whom I can't remember (my CD collection was burnt up in a house fire). They were both excellent, and have shown me what Beethoven's symphonies should sound like. But Ferencsik conducts the 6th as if he doesn't have a true artist's feel for Beethoven's intended interplay of the various instruments. Sometimes inappropriate secondary instruments come to the foreground when they shouldn't, giving a clumsy feel to the whole. In general he gets it right, but there are many occurrences that make me say to myself, "Ah, well, the complete symphonies for $13.89, an excellent orchestra, and very good sound fidelity. It's still a great deal!" One more excellent example of the importance of the man with the baton.

17 people found this helpful

KeithB

Good orchestration, great price, one CD skips...

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 19, 2005

Verified Purchase

Dad and I are novices to classical music, but this set sounds great to us! I tend to go for quality over quantity, but the Hungarian Philharmonic gives me no reason to buy a more expensive set of Beethoven's works, especially when there are so many more composers' sets to buy. I also like having all nine symphonys in one compact set. My one gripe about this set is that one of the five CDs has a flaw in the surface, which causes my player to repeat over and over... Maybe a more expensive set (with implied higher quality CD stamping?) would have been the way to go; it's a hassle returning items when they don't work. Hence, 3 stars rather than 4.

2 people found this helpful

Yisroel Katzman

Excellent recording at a bargain price.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 7, 2018

Verified Purchase

It is a very solid performance by one of the best Hungarian conductors of the 20th century with an excellent Hungarian orchestra. Everything scintillates in this recording. I really love it. You can read Janos Ferencsik's biograohy on Wikipedia. One does not become Toscanini's assistant without real qualities.

One person found this helpful

hodoli

Beethoven Collection

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 23, 2006

Verified Purchase

Beethoven is my favorite composer. No matter how upset or tired I am, his music calms me down, just like a big, gentle hug.

But the cheap CDs have poor quality. And the good ones are too expensive for me. When I found this collection, with such a good price on Amazon.com, I couldn't believe it. Shortly after I purchased it, I received it. The quality is great. I am enjoying it. Thank you

Hoda

12 people found this helpful

Oscar Blas Ayala

Satisfecho por la compra - Satisfied with the purchase

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 10, 2010

Verified Purchase

El producto llegó en las condiciones estipuladas por el vendedor, estoy muy satisfecho con la compra.
The product arrived in the conditions set by the seller, I am very satisfied with the purchase.

maggie

It is very good!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 23, 2013

Verified Purchase

This is the best choice! it's good quality and resonable price. mailing is fast too! I like it a lot!

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5 star		73%
4 star		16%
3 star		11%
2 star 0% (0%)		0%
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Beethoven Collection 1-5: Symphonies 1-9

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Beethoven Collection 1-5: Symphonies 1-9

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