MusicWeb International One of the most grown-up review sites around 2024
60,000 reviews
... and still writing ...

Search MusicWeb Here Acte Prealable Polish CDs
 

Presto Music CD retailer
 
Founder: Len Mullenger                                    Editor in Chief:John Quinn             


Some items
to consider

new MWI
Current reviews

old MWI
pre-2023 reviews

paid for
advertisements

Acte Prealable Polish recordings

Forgotten Recordings
Forgotten Recordings
All Forgotten Records Reviews

TROUBADISC
Troubadisc Weinberg- TROCD01450

All Troubadisc reviews


FOGHORN Classics

Alexandra-Quartet
Brahms String Quartets

All Foghorn Reviews


All HDTT reviews


Songs to Harp from
the Old and New World


all Nimbus reviews



all tudor reviews


Follow us on Twitter


Editorial Board
MusicWeb International
Founding Editor
   
Rob Barnett
Editor in Chief
John Quinn
Contributing Editor
Ralph Moore
Webmaster
   David Barker
Postmaster
Jonathan Woolf
MusicWeb Founder
   Len Mullenger


 REVIEW


Advertising on
Musicweb


Donate and keep us afloat

 

New Releases

Naxos Classical
All Naxos reviews

Hyperion recordings
All Hyperion reviews

Foghorn recordings
All Foghorn reviews

Troubadisc recordings
All Troubadisc reviews



all Bridge reviews


all cpo reviews

Divine Art recordings
Click to see New Releases
Get 10% off using code musicweb10
All Divine Art reviews


All Eloquence reviews

Lyrita recordings
All Lyrita Reviews

 

Wyastone New Releases
Obtain 10% discount

Subscribe to our free weekly review listing

 

 

alternatively
Download: Classicsonline


Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1840-1893)
Symphony No. 9 in D minor Choral, Op. 125 (1824) [63:58]
Overture: Leonora No. 3, Op. 72a (1806) [13:27]
Edith Didrup (soprano); Elsa Brems (mezzo); Thyge Thygesen (tenor); Holger Byrding (bass)
Danish Radio Choir and Symphony Orchestra/Nicolai Malko
rec. 30 January 1955, Copenhagen
DANACORD DACOCD683 [77:40] 
Experience Classicsonline

This disc has been issued by Danacord to celebrate the 2009 Nicolai Malko conducting competition, which took place in Copenhagen in May. The recorded live performance reissued thus dates from January 1955, which was the occasion of the 25th anniversary of Malko’s first performance with the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra. The coupling of the third Leonora Overture of Beethoven with the Ninth Symphony formed the complete concert programme on that occasion, and it is found on this generously filled single CD.

Nicolai Malko (1883-1961) was one of the great conductors of the 20th century, and his work with the Danish Radio Orchestra was consistent and enduring. Only during the war years was the relationship interrupted, and it was resumed immediately afterwards. Since this issue is very much a celebration of Malko’s relationship with Denmark, it is no surprise that the accompanying documentation should focus in this direction rather than towards the music. But why need it be the one at the expense of the other? Even a short note on the Beethoven compositions, and the texts and translations of the symphony’s finale, could have been possible in serving the needs of the purchaser, and had the effect of turning this recording into a viable addition to the catalogue. As it stands, this is clearly directed at the historical-specialist category.

By 1955 orchestral recordings were becoming quite full-toned, and parts of this concert have richly sonorous climaxes. The Leonore Overture No. 3, which comes first, is taut and dramatic, but its more lyrical moments are often undermined by intrusive contributions from the audience. This is a phenomenon that is still very much alive today, more than fifty years on. Why is it that coughers feel that their birthright is best indulged when the music is at its most restrained dynamic level?

The first movement of the symphony is impressive, and thankfully it suffers less from audience participation. The discipline of the orchestral ensemble is a notable characteristic, and helps brings an emphatic and unequivocal conclusion. 

The second movement Scherzo is again tightly controlled and the dramatic rhythms are nothing if not impressive. While the timpani do not have the benefit of precisely focused modern sound, the player’s contributions still make their mark. In this movement should we take Beethoven’s metronome marking at face value? The problem of the tempo for the contrasting Trio section is cunningly solved by Malko adopting lyrical phrasing at a relatively quick speed, in the manner for example undertaken by Günter Wand in his thoroughly recommendable recording of the symphony (RCA Red Seal 74321 68005 2). Malko is ungenerous with repeats, however, whose inclusion can add a full five minutes to this movement. Had he indulged so, of course, the single-disc option would not have been available to Danacord.

The slow movement has an eloquent relationship of tempi between the initial Adagio and the later Andante, whose theme was famously described by Sir George Grove as ‘guaranteed to bring tears to the eyes of strong men with whiskers’. Occasionally the challenges and pitfalls of live recording are experienced in this movement, as when the fourth horn does not quite manage to bring off his famous solo.

And so to the finale. It is here that both performance and recording encounter problems. The initial hubbub sounds more scrappy than it might, while the ensuing recitative is not ‘in tempo’, as Beethoven requested, but indulgently expressive. When the voices arrive there are all manner of problems in terms of recorded balance, but they are chiefly in the area of soloists too close, chorus too distant. The bass Holger Byrding makes a strong impression with an arresting initial solo, but he spoils matters somewhat by letting the rhythm sag. On the credit side Malko achieves a suitable ebb and flow of tension and relaxation as the variations proceed, while the final bars are as exciting and invigorating as could be.

Terry Barfoot 
 


EXPLORE MUSICWEB INTERNATIONAL

Making a Donation to MusicWeb

Writing CD reviews for MWI

About MWI
Who we are, where we have come from and how we do it.

Site Map

How to find a review

How to find articles on MusicWeb
Listed in date order

Review Indexes
   By Label
      Select a label and all reviews are listed in Catalogue order
   By Masterwork
            Links from composer names (eg Sibelius) are to resource pages with links to the review indexes for the individual works as well as other resources.

Themed Review pages

Jazz reviews

 

Discographies
   Composer
      Composer surveys
   National
      Unique to MusicWeb -
a comprehensive listing of all LP and CD recordings of given works
.
Prepared by Michael Herman

The Collector’s Guide to Gramophone Company Record Labels 1898 - 1925
Howard Friedman

Book Reviews

Complete Books
We have a number of out of print complete books on-line

Interviews
With Composers, Conductors, Singers, Instumentalists and others
Includes those on the Seen and Heard site

Nostalgia

Nostalgia CD reviews

Records Of The Year
Each reviewer is given the opportunity to select the best of the releases

Monthly Best Buys
Recordings of the Month and Bargains of the Month

Comment
Arthur Butterworth Writes

An occasional column

Phil Scowcroft's Garlands
British Light Music articles

Classical blogs
A listing of Classical Music Blogs external to MusicWeb International

Reviewers Logs
What they have been listening to for pleasure

Announcements

 

Community
Bulletin Board

Give your opinions or seek answers

Reviewers
Past and present

Helpers invited!

Resources
How Did I Miss That?

Currently suspended but there are a lot there with sound clips


Composer Resources

British Composers

British Light Music Composers

Other composers

Film Music (Archive)
Film Music on the Web (Closed in December 2006)

Programme Notes
For concert organizers

External sites
British Music Society
The BBC Proms
Orchestra Sites
Recording Companies & Retailers
Online Music
Agents & Marketing
Publishers
Other links
Newsgroups
Web News sites etc

PotPourri
A pot-pourri of articles

MW Listening Room
MW Office

Advice to Windows Vista users  
Questionnaire    
Site History  
What they say about us
What we say about us!
Where to get help on the Internet
CD orders By Special Request
Graphics archive
Currency Converter
Dictionary
Magazines
Newsfeed  
Web Ring
Translation Service

Rules for potential reviewers :-)
Do Not Go Here!
April Fools




Return to Review Index

Untitled Document


Reviews from previous months
Join the mailing list and receive a hyperlinked weekly update on the discs reviewed. details
We welcome feedback on our reviews. Please use the Bulletin Board
Please paste in the first line of your comments the URL of the review to which you refer.