Calling all Eduard Van Beinum fans

[Andy Evans]

I pulled out La Mer by Beinum and marvelled at it - my favourite version and wonderful from beginning to end.

So what else on record is up to his highest standards? Favourites and opinions?

[cooper...@gmail.com]

On Tuesday, September 19, 2017 at 3:44:13 AM UTC-4, Andy Evans wrote:
> I pulled out La Mer by Beinum and marvelled at it - my favourite version and wonderful from beginning to end.
>
> So what else on record is up to his highest standards? Favourites and opinions?

Are you serious, Andy? I doubt that there is any conductor in history whose recordings maintained such a consistently high standard, and what an orchestra! The tragedy is that Van Beinum's career was cut short (or, as a student of mine memorably wrote on an exam essay, it was "interrupted by death"). I would avoid the baroque music (Bach Suites, Handel Water Music) unless you like the turgid full-orchestra style that was the norm back then. Also, the Sibelius Violin Concerto with Damen is ghastly. And I can't comment on his Bruckner, which is widely admired; my problem is with the music, not the conductor. But other than those exceptions, it's all good, and I can immodestly say that I've heard just about everything (except the Bruckner).

Are you looking for "what's next" recommendations? Brahms symphonies, Mahler 4 (as well as the live Mahler 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lBU-1AqKFw), the rest of his Debussy, Beethoven Overtures, Haydn symphonies, Schubert Sym #4, any Mendelssohn, Beethoven & Brahms Violin Concerti w/Grumiaux, Brahms D-minor Piano Concerto w/Curzon (much better than the pianist's better-known efforts, imo), Sibelius tone poems, Elgar, Britten.

Lots of good listening....

AC

[HT]

> Are you looking for "what's next" recommendations? Brahms symphonies, Mahler 4 (as well as the live Mahler 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lBU-1AqKFw), the rest of his Debussy, Beethoven Overtures, Haydn symphonies, Schubert Sym #4, any Mendelssohn, Beethoven & Brahms Violin Concerti w/Grumiaux, Brahms D-minor Piano Concerto w/Curzon (much better than the pianist's better-known efforts, imo), Sibelius tone poems, Elgar, Britten.
>
> Lots of good listening....

Seconded. I heard him live, several times.His Brahms was something very special.

Henk

[wkasimer]

On Tuesday, September 19, 2017 at 3:44:13 AM UTC-4, Andy Evans wrote:

> I pulled out La Mer by Beinum and marvelled at it - my favourite version and wonderful from beginning to end.
>
> So what else on record is up to his highest standards? Favourites and opinions?

There are two Scribendum boxes devoted to him. Both appear to be OOP, but they're not (yet) expensive, at least not on Amazon's Marketplace, and both are currently listed at Berkshire.

Highlights for me are his Brahms symphonies, and the Beethoven and Brahms Violin concerti with Grumiaux.

Does anyone have an opinion about his recording of the St. Matthew Passion?

[mswd...@gmail.com]

On Tuesday, September 19, 2017 at 2:28:41 PM UTC-5, wkasimer wrote:
> There are two Scribendum boxes devoted to him. Both appear to be OOP, but they're not (yet) expensive, at least not on Amazon's Marketplace, and both are currently listed at Berkshire.

Not that I've checked recently, but I recall Scribendum, while working with licensed masters, filtered these recordings to try to sweeten them up. There is a definite high-frequency loss. Someone else should check since I'm dealing with organic high-frequency loss on the left and right sides of my head. But I recall thinking my Philips cds sounded better.

[mswd...@gmail.com]

Oh, and I really like his Water Music. I have a reel-to-reel transfer on CD that I prefer to the CD releases.

[Bob Harper]

Thirded. The Haydn Symphonies are just about perfect. The Bruckner (de
gustibus, Alan) is some of the best ever; too bad it's mono. I envy your
having heard him live, Henk. The closest I've got is the wonderful DVD
of the Eroica in one of the Dutch Masters sets. A great performance,
even though you can see he is suffering (he takes a nitroglycerin pill
at one point).

Bob Harper

[Andy Evans]

I feel a real affinity for EVB - he's just so damned musical. Don't know how else to say it. Maybe also because I'm a double bass player like his father. Here's a useful discography.

http://www.classicalcdreview.com/evb.html

I imprinted on his Handel but am glad to move on from that old style. I love his live Eroica even if he doesn't quite bring off the last movement to my ears - I read that he was in pain.

Starting on the rest of his recordings - thankfully he did record quite a lot, even though much was shorter works rather than the big repertoire.

[Russ (not Martha)]

On Tuesday, September 19, 2017 at 2:44:13 AM UTC-5, Andy Evans wrote:
> I pulled out La Mer by Beinum and marvelled at it - my favourite version and wonderful from beginning to end.
>
> So what else on record is up to his highest standards? Favourites and opinions?

Mendelssohn Italian Symphony - what a finale!!
Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique
Stravinsky Sacre du Printemps
Bartók Concerto for Orchestra

The only vB performance I can recall that doesn't quite come off for me is the Schubert 4th Symphony - 1st movt just too slow for my taste.

I was very happy to stumble upon the vB Dutch Masters reissues during my 1st visit to the Netherlands back in the late 90's.

Nice to see that this marvelous conductor still has his admirers.

Russ (not Martha)

Russ (not Martha)

[jrsnfld]

Count me in, as a Van Beinum fan. And yes, his Bruckner is great too.

In addition to the studio Mahler 4 and incandescent Mahler 3, there's a great live Mahler 6 available as well. There's also Schubert 3 and 6 and a live 9th, if I recall correctly. First stop, for me, other than Bruckner and Debussy, would be the Brahms and Haydn symphonies.

--Jeff

[Terry]

There's a very good Das Lied von der Erde, that I used to own on black disc. I think the tenor was Haefliger, but I forget the name of the alto. She was excellent also.

[jrsnfld]

Haefliger, with Nan Merriman. Another treasure from van Beinum (and he did Songs of a Wayfarer with her as well).

--Jeff

[Mark Obert-Thorn]

On Thursday, September 21, 2017 at 12:52:41 PM UTC-4, jrsnfld wrote:
> Haefliger, with Nan Merriman. Another treasure from van Beinum (and he did Songs of a Wayfarer with her as well).

All of van Beinum's studio recordings of Mahler, including his earlier "Songs of a Wayfarer" with Eugenia Zareska, have now been collected into this two-CD set:

https://www.pristineclassical.com/products/pasc498

Mark O-T

[Bozo]

I enjoy this recording of Beethoven's 4th PC with R.Casadesus , now on a SONY Classics cd :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT5uuyuoXR0

[Precious Roy]

> There's a very good Das Lied von der Erde, that I used to own on black disc. I think the tenor was Haefliger, but I forget the name of the alto. She was excellent

It could be the very best Das Lied von der Erde, and I am familiar with scads of recordings of it. The sound is good mono. Highly recommended

[wade...@hotmail.com]

On Tuesday, September 19, 2017 at 12:44:13 AM UTC-7, Andy Evans wrote:
> I pulled out La Mer by Beinum and marvelled at it - my favourite version and wonderful from beginning to end.
>
> So what else on record is up to his highest standards? Favourites and opinions?

I have always found van Beinum interesting. When he conducted French music, he got the Concertgebouw orchestra to sound French, when he played German music, he got them to sound German. I wish Universal would put out a comprehensive box and fill in the blanks of things that so far, have been left out of previous issues either from Original Masters, Dutton and Eloquence.

[gggg gggg]

On Monday, September 18, 2017 at 9:44:13 PM UTC-10, Andy Evans wrote:
> I pulled out La Mer by Beinum and marvelled at it - my favourite version and wonderful from beginning to end.
>
> So what else on record is up to his highest standards? Favourites and opinions?

(Recent Y. upload):

Review: Eduard van Beinum's Effortlessly Compelling Mahler