WILHELM FURTWÄGLER - BERLIN PHILHARRMONIC
Radioi Redordings 1939 -1945
BPHR 180181 (21 disks)
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FURTWÄNGLER: Symphonic Concerto (Edwin Fisher, piano). HANDEL: Concerto Grosso Op, 6 No. 5. BEETHOVEN: Symphony No 5. STRAUSS: Lieder (Verführung/.Waldseligkeit. Liebeshymnus. Winterliebe) (Peter Anders, tenor). WAGNER: Prelude to Die Meistersinger SCHUMANN: Piano Concerto (Walter Gieseking). BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 7. BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 9 (Tilia Briem. Peter Anders. Elisabeth Höngen. Rudolf Watzke). SCHUYMANN: Cello Concerto (Tibor de Macula). GLUCK: Alceste Overture. BRUCKNER: Symphony No 5. BRAHMS: Piano Concerto No. 2 (Edwin Fischer).BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 5. BRAHMS: Piano Concerto No 2 (Edwin Fischer). WAGNER: Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan and Isolde. HEINZ SCHUBERT: Hymnic Concerto (Erna Berger. Walther Ludwig. Fritz Heitman). SCHUBERT: Symphony No. 8 (No. 9). MOZART: Symphony No. 39. SIBELIUS: En Saga. Violin Concerto (George Kulenkampff). BEETHOVEN: Symphony No 4 (two performances).BEETHOVEN: Coriolan Overture. Symphony No 5. PEPPING: Symphony No. 2. BEETHOVEN: Coriolan Overture. Piano Concerto No. 4 (Conrad Hansen). BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 6 (incomplete).SCHUMANN: Cello Concerto (incomplete). STRAUSS: Till Eulenspiegel. BRAHMS: Variations on a Theme by Haydn. Piano Concerto No. 2 (Adrian Aeschbacher). Symphony No. 4. BEETHOVEN: Violin Concerto (Erich Röhn). STRAUSS: Sinfonia Domestica HANDEL: Concerto Grosso Op. 6 No. 10. MOZART: Symphony No. 39. WEBER: Der Freischütz Overture. RAVEL: Daphnis and Chloe Suite No. 1 (incomplete). Daphnis and Chloe Suite No. 2. BEETHOVEN: Symphony No 6. BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 9. SCHUBERT: Symphony No 8 (No. 9). BRAHMS: Adagio. Allegro non troppo from Symphony No 1. Interview with Friedrich Schnapp.

This huge new set with Wilhelm Furtwängler and the Berrlin Philharmonic contains all of the radio broadcasts that exist from 1939 - 1945. They display the great conductor at the height of his powers. All of these recordings apparently were taken to the Soviet Union dur8ng the war, and' in 1990 they were returned to Germany. To commemorate the legacy of Futwängler and the Berlin Philharmonic he conducted so often during the many years he was associated with them, we have this deluxe set. Packaging is awkward to say the least. There is a huge (120-page) book tthat containes detailed informatin aboutt the performances, with concert dates and many photos that surely will interest the conductor's audiene. It also contains an English translation of Friedrich Schnapp's interview with the conductor.

For reasons known only to them, producers have divided contents of this set into 21 "concerts," each disk supposedly representing a "concert "which is hardly true. Several disks have brief playing time. All of the recordings have been digitally remastered, and are issued on SACD stating theywill sound better when played in SACD format. When played that way, there is no audio from rear speakers, and the two front speakers are, of course mono. The recordings were not very good to begin with What point is there in releasing these very old recordings on SACD? None! It is surprising audio isn't better—just listen to the Mengelberg Concertgebouw broadcasts of the same era (REVIEW). By comparisonl, the BPO recordings are congested and lack detail. Producers identify the Schubert symphony we know as Symphony No 9, as No 8. , and the Symp[hony No. 8, the familiar Unfinished is labelled Symphony No .7. The 21n disks are in two accordian-type folders that are difficult to manipulate.

This is not an inexpensive issue. Furtwängler admirerers surely will wish to have it, but all of these reordings have previously been issued on other labels usually at a lower price and with equally good audio.

R.E.B. (June 2019)