LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN
Coriolan Overture · Piano Concerto No. 1 · Symphony No.
7
Murray Perahia (piano)
London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Georg Solti
ARTHAUS MUSIK DVD 100 148
(Regions
2 & 5)
[94:00]
Crotchet
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As long as inexpensively priced products such as this superb release from
Arthaus continue to enter the marketplace, the future of classical music
on the twelve centimetre silver disc must remain buoyant. But what kind of
disc? The good old audio CD with its eighty minutes (maximum) of music must
surely become increasingly under threat from the arrival of the DVD which
offers fabulous stereo (and in some cases 5.1 digital surround sound), greatly
extended playing times and fabulous picture quality.
Indeed, the history of Murray Perahia and the Beethoven Concertos sounds
a cautionary yet instructive tale. First of all there was the CD cycle with
Haitink, made so long ago that the label was still called CBS, not Sony.
These were fine performances, considered at the time as good a set as could
be obtained. Not long afterwards a similar series with Neville Marriner at
the helm arrived on Virgin VHS videotapes. Although they were not particularly
well promoted, it was nevertheless noted by many enthusiasts that these tapes
worked out at around two thirds of the price of the CBS CDs due to their
extended playing times. Those early adopters who had invested in Nicam Stereo
video recorders - linked up to their hi-fi systems - found themselves in
the happy position of being able to enjoy PCM encoded stereo sound of almost
CD quality from tapes of up to four hours in length. One or two of us actually
listened to such videos without switching on the TV set at all and found
that here was a new medium that offered fine sound without the need to get
out of the armchair every hour or so. For a short while, VHS Stereo became
the preferred method of recording whole concerts and operas from FM stereo
radio.
But digital discs in one form or another were bound to win the day, as the
DCC debacle soon proved. If tape was considered an inelegant medium, prone
to damage, then DVD discs were bound to win public approval. Perahia's
performance of one of the Beethoven Concertos - the First - featured on this
disc is the finest of the three he has made, with Solti giving superbly
thoughtful support.
So if you want a compact disc of this programme of overture, concerto and
symphony this is the one to get. At over 90 minutes the disc remains compact,
is called a DVD rather than CD and offers so much more. By all means listen
to it as audio only; the BBC sound from this live March 1987 taping at the
Barbican Centre London (part of the Barbican's fifth anniversary celebrations)
is extremely fine with excellent balances throughout and no sense of the
dryness that many concert-goers find in the hall.
But Digital Versatile Disc (as we now have to call it) began as Digital Video
Disc and, fundamentally, this remains a video. Humphrey Burton's direction
is up to the very best BBC standards avoiding both the extended shots of
the conductor (à la Karajan) and the irritating switch to a particular
instrument or section just before they play a major theme (very common).
This is highly subtle direction, best exemplified in the first movement cadenza
of the concerto where, fascinatingly, Burton dwells on the hands of Perahia,
often employing differing camera angles to accentuate Beethoven's dramatic
leaps from bass to treble.
And what of Solti? Here he is as alive and virile as ever with every nuance
of expression clearly delineated by the wonderful picture quality. It's hard
to believe, when watching this DVD, that he is no longer with us. For those
who enjoy debating the relative merits of conductors past and present, here
is real evidence to support a point of view - not just an opinion based on
audible results alone. The second subject of the concerto's first movement
contains one of those wonderful moments where the solo oboe enters soaring
above a rhythmical string ostinato. Clearly Beethoven knew his Mozart. One
would expect the conductor to bring his oboist 'in'. But not Solti. He trusted
Tony Camden not to let him or the audience down, preferring instead, with
his famous flick of the left wrist and with eyes firmly to the left, to ensure
that the violins played rhythmically and at the correct dynamic. Such fascinating
detail cannot be fathomed from sound alone.
Solti never rushed Beethoven's Seventh Symphony. For many, the dance like
figures require faster tempi throughout. But Solti also saw the work as part
of the canon and there is a certain granite-like concentration in this
performance which brings the symphony closer to the fifth and Eroica symphonies
than usual.
Solti was ever the professional and his reaction to the warm applause at
the end seems at first to bring a personal, almost selfish glow to the conductor
without the orchestra's apparent involvement. But this is an illusion; the
admiration for certain conductors is the biggest factor in ensuring a full
hall and Solti ensures his personal approval is thoroughly established with
this audience.
That achieved, his generosity to his players in calling them to their feet
with giant smiles on his face and with waves to individual orchestral members,
clearly marked him out as a great man.
A DVD player costs as little as nine (or so) full price CDs.
Simon Foster
