Wilhelm Furtwangler - Beethoven: Symphonies 1 & 2 (1948-54) [2012]

Furtwängler's Beethoven Symphonies in a fabulous XR-remastered makeover

His only recording of the 2nd is magical - and his last ever recording, of the 1st sublime

In this release, we bring together a recording from Furtwängler's final concerts of Beethoven's Symphony No. 1 (the programme was repeated over two nights and the recording dates from the first of the two - the second was his very last appearance on the concert stage), with the only known recording of Furtwängler conducting Beethoven's Symphony No. 2, at the Royal Albert Hall in London in 1948. The companion piece to these two symphonies is a studio recording of the third Leonore Overture made during the 1953 recording of Fidelio.

The only known recording of the Second Symphony was first discovered and issued in 1979, and despite repeated reissues, little has ever been achieved in attempts to improve the dismal sound quality of the original discs. This new XR-remastered transfer aims to change that. Whilst one must still bear in mind the abysmal state of the original, here at last is a full-bodied orchestra, with surprising upper-end extension and a far more even sound, allowing the performance to be better appreciated than ever before. A major effort has been undertaken in stitching together tiny gaps in individual notes and dealing with hundreds of bumps and clunks. Despite the loss in the quietest sections of fine detail, overall it's a truly astonishing transformation of this historic document.


Tracks:

BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 1
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 2
BEETHOVEN Leonora No. 3 - Overture

Personnel:

Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler