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| Complete Cycles (Historical) | Symphony No.2 |
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| Survey menu | Discography (this symphony) |
"Magnificent, limpid, fiery-flowing."
Carl Maria von Weber
"The instrumental swan-song of the 18th century, the final symphonic manifestation of classicism, of its simplicity and clarity, in the face of the approaching Romanticism, for whose subjective course noone was to blaze the trail more decisively than Beethoven."
Hermann Kretzschmar
When Beethoven's First Symphony was premiered on April 2 1800, the audience was baffled by the audacity of its composer. Although the work seems, to late 20th century ears, to be little different from the late symphonies of Mozart and - especially - Haydn, the very opening bars ("a composition professing to be in the key of C, begins with a discord in the key of F, and by the third bar lands us in G" as Sir George Grove put it), gave notice to the musical world that here was a composer to be watched. In a sense - although the work was probably written in 1799 - the symphonic 19th century could be said to have begun with this work.
Conductors basically seem either to read this as an extension of the 18th century or the beginning of the 19th. The "authentic" school tend, by and large, to fall into the former camp.
All recordings of the 1st symphony are, because of its length, coupled with something else: almost invariably another of The Nine (although the original issue of Brüggen's was a comparative exception, coupled with Mozart's K550). This tends to mean that the collector will inevitably end up with one or more versions of the 1st by accident, as it were.
It may be heretical to say this, but Beethoven's 1st is not a profound masterpiece, and I cannot think of a single recording which is sufficiently good to rate its purchase if coupled with a bad performance of another work.
Conversely, if you have a good complete set, there is probably little need (unless, like me, you are a fanatical collector) to buy another version.
If you have any of the sets by Szell, Karajan (except possibly his last: 1962 leans more twoard the 18th century view, and the 1977 more towards the 19th century), Harnoncourt, Konwistchny, Monteux, Walter, Klemperer inter alia then you have a more than adequate version of this symphony.
Again, there is little to choose between the name players: Norrington, Hogwood, Brüggen and Gardiner (I haven't heard the Hanover Band 1st).
Most discs couple the First with the Second, an appropriate and obvious choice. Norrington is unusually coupled with the Sixth: this is an excellent coupling which ranks just behind his 2/8 as the best of the cycle. (I enjoy Norrington's Pastoral rather more than some). Even for non-HIP fans.
Furtwängler's 1950 is excellent and surprisingly well recorded for its age (coupled with his - second - studio Eroica).
Scherchen's 1954 mono recording is also superb, and its coupling will make it essential to many collectors (see below).
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| Complete Cycles (Historical) | Symphony No.2 |
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| Survey menu | Discography (this symphony) |