Charles Munch Conducts Romantic Mast Erworks

The new CD collection "Charles Munch Conducts Romantic Masterworks" is a must have for the power of the interpretations and thepeerless, magnificent playing of the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO). Most classical music lovers know of Munch as one of the great-est exponents of the French orchestral repertoire and justifiably so. But many either forget or do not know that he was born inAlsace (Strasbourg, to be exact) in the late 20th century when that region was part of Germany and did not become part of France until after WWII and began his career as a violinist, even becoming concertmaster of the Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig for severalyears, where he met Furtwangler among others. Munch's sympathies political and otherwise would remain French to the core for his entire life; however, his upbringing did immerse him in the German orchestral repertoire from Bach up to the 20th century - and the selections in the present box set attest to his persuasiveness in this field. The performances are for the most part utterly con-vincing and committed and stand up to comparisons with better known recordings by the "superstar" conductors such as Karajan, Szell,Klemperer,etc. So even if you have other recordings of these works, you will not regret having this set in your CD library. As this is a reissue, some of this music has been originally issued with othr couplings, but duplication is kept to a bare minimum as far as I can tell. I will now review each CD seperately giving concise critiques of each work.CD 1: The Mendelssohn Symphony No.3 is probably the weakest intepretation in the set due to the excessive tempo fluctuations in the two outer movements which are eccentric to say the least - the two middle movements are fine, however. The Mendelssohn Violin Con-certo is a true classic of interpretation largely due to Heifetz' unbelievably accurate and at the same time searching performance-that the first movement is a bit rushed can be forgiven in light of the sucess of the whole - the last movement must be heard to be believed. The BSO and Munch accompany Heifetz with great force and featherweight elfin delicay when needed. The Capriccio Brilliant for Piano and Orchestra is not frequently recorded, so it is good to have this wonderful account with Gary Graffman a most con- vincing soloist. Note- the Mendelssohn concerto was originally isued with the Heifetz/Reiner account of the Beethoven Violin Concerto.CD 2: More Medelssohn here. The Fourth and Fifth Symphonies are virtually perfect througout, and should please all listeners even with the stiff competition. If Szell/Cleveland is lighter and leaner in the Fourth, then the BSO's more robust approach works as well, giving this marvelous work an equally joyful, extroverted and technically accurate account while giving the somber secondmovement its due as well. The Fifth Symphony is one of,if not the best performance of this work I have heard. Most conductors takethis symphony either too slow or too fast, especially in the outer movements. Not Munch - he maintains a perfect balance betweenthe extroverted and the sublime; just listen to the last movement and you will see what I mean. Lastly, this CD is rounded off by anabsolutely delightful account of the Scherzo from the Octet in E-Flat Major, a Munch specialty with the BSO. A splendid encoreindeed.CD 3: The Brahms First Symphony which begins this disc is 3/4 convincing.The last movement however is compromised by the opening, where the "chorale" whcih begins it is taken much too slowly thus making the subsequent accelerando sound sudden and unnatural.Brahms was a Classically influenced composer, therefore the less the initial tempi are tampered with the better. The performance of the Tragic Oveture though is a breath of fresh air - Munch starts out like a racehorse at full gait and does not let up, the urgencyof this work superbly maintained. You are rightly out of breath at the conclusion. A magnificent account, one of the best.CD 4: More Brahms, this time the Second and Fourth Symphonies. Here there is none of the eccentricity of tempi that marred the per-formance of the Brahms First. In both symphonies on the present disc, Munch lets the music speak for itself as well it should. As aresult we have one of the sunniest and most lyrical accounts of the Second ever made, with a final movement that will blow you awaywith its whirlwind-like impetus, The Fourth is just as convincing, with tempi that are taut and controlled, yet with just enoughflexibility to let the music breathe - none of the emotional excess that oftem mars this symphony. The final movement Passacaglia(set of Variations) is most convincing, leading to a shattering conclusion that will leave you speechless. Both these interpreta- tations merit comparison with Karajan,Klemperer Szell and Carlos Kleiber - they really are that good!CD 5: Schubert's Symphony No. 2 is one of his more lyrical and easygoing symphonies and is here given a suitably relaxed and genialaccount which nevertheless keeps a jaunty spring in its step throughout the proceedings. The Bramhs Piano Concerto No.1 is the perfect foil to the Schubert. Interpretively, this is probably the finest account of this work currently available, and given thecompetition this is saying something. Right from the very beginning of the openoing movement all involved give a truly explosive performance, releasing all their energy with volcanic fury and not letting up. The long middle movement is given a suitably tenderaccount, distracting us from what is to come, namely the last movement. And when it does, it is truly a wake-up call of the firstorder, with playing from both orchestra and soloist that keep the tension going right to the exultant, fiery conclusion. Kudos to Munch, the BSO and soloist Gary Graffman for this titanic performance - even better than the Szell/Cleveland account with RudolfSerkin due to the more full-bodied and refined playing of the BSO. Graffman's magisterial playing is easily an equal to Serkin.CD 6: More Schubert, here in the form of the compoesr's two most popular symphonies, the immortal Eighth(Unfinished) and the Ninth,known for its "heavenly length" at almost one hour. Both of these works are given fully persuasive performances by Munch and theBSO. The tempi in the Eighth are absolutely perfect and let the music flow naturally to each movements' respective conclusions - the BSO's otherworldly playing seals the deal here. No comparisons are necessary or needed. The performance of the Ninth is equal-ly persuasive - all the movements are done as convincingly as can be humanly done. You just need to listen to be convinced. Yes, wehave the legendary recordings of this work by Furtwangler, Szell and Bohm, but Munch desrved to stand right next to them and he does!CD 7 : On to Robert Schumann now and two his most popular works, the Symphony No.1 (Spring) and the Manfred Overture. The symphonyis here given by Munch and the BSO the most extroverted and sunniest version on recordings, the first movement goes right out of the gate and simply bubbles with irrepressible joie de vivre. The slow movement is suitably relaxed, the third movemment scherzostern but animated, and the last movement as happily unbuttoned an account as you will ever find. The Manfred Overture is given yetanother peerless reading - a suitably urgent, whirlwind account that recalls Bernstein's 1943 debut with the New York Philharmonic. Munch's account is equally persuasive with even better playing from the BSO and is a perfect foil to the "Spring" Symphony. Ano-ther glorious disc!CD 8 : The last disc in the set is yet another winner. A bracing, urgent performance of Schumann's Genoveva Overture precedes what must be the definitive performance of the Brahms Second Piano Concerto. With Arthur Rubinstein a peerless, fiery soloist and the usual peerless playing of the BSO (listen to the rapid passagework in the first movement); what more can I say. A fitting conclu- sion to a set that should be grabbed up by any true aficionado of orchestral and solo playing and a perfect document to the artis- try of Charles Munch, a conductor who reputation should be enhanced with the release of this set and the companion set Late Roman- tic Masterworks (to be reviewed soon).My only complaint with this set is the bare-bones pakaging typical of so many budget releases these days. There are no liner notes of any kind, not even a bio, however brief, of Mr. Munch who was such a driving force with the BSO. Still, most of you may be familiar enough with the music within that this will hopefully not be a deterrent to buying this set. Do not hesitate - buy this before it goes out of print (which hnopefully it won't if Sony is smart)! You will not regret the purchase, especially at the low budget price.P.S. Oxford University press has just released a brilliant biography of Charles Munch called, you guessed it Charles Munch written and edited by D. Kern Holoman. This is a perfect and timely complement to these recordings. Buy it! It is available on Amazon.

Charles Munch has always been one of very favorite conductors, and his control of the great Boston Symphony is phenomenal. His recordings that came out as RCA SACD recordings are the finest, I have them all. Believe it or not I purchased this set because of two of the CD's. The Schumann Symphony #1 & Manfred Overture and the Mendelson Scotch symphony. Both of these came out as Bargain CD's in the 1980's and the sound was not up to the quality of the RCA records and were somewhat of a dissappointment. Since these are supposedly remastered here I had hoped they would be much better. The improvement is not as much as I had hoped, however. Still no one plays these symphonies like Munch. The Schumann Spring is so bursting with energy that you can almost see the trees blooming, the flowers growing and grass coming to life before your eyes. The Brahms here is excellent, but some reservation needs to be made about the sound quality. I have not had the time to listen to the entirety of this 8CD set. The Schubert symphonies here did come out on Living Stereo and SACD so I suspect these are the same remastered recordings. But I will state absolutely that no-one interested in these particular pieces of music should miss this set at less than $3 a disk including shipping at Amazon.com. The interpretations of Munch are breathtaking and they should not be missed! Many of Munch's recording are indeed to be included in the greatest interpretations of the century. Thank You Charles!

Charles Munch (d. 1968) was one of the most esteemed French conductors of the 20th century, particularly noted for his interpretations of Berlioz (whose music was a life-long cause), Debussy and other French masters. He was Music Director of the Boston Symphony from 1949 to 1962 and during his Boston tenure he championed music of all sorts, including American composers. Munch never got the respect he deserved as a conductor of German music, so this marvelous collection of mainstream German Romantic masterpieces is a most welcome reminder how persuasive he could be conducting the likes of Schumann, Schubert, Mendelssohn and (especially) Brahms.Although a Frenchman through and through, Munch was born in Alsace during its long period of German occupation which only ended with Germany's defeat in 1918. I think his Franco-German background explains a lot about Munch the conductor who, throughout his distinguished career, championed German music that most of his French contemporaries avoided like the plague. And Munch got his real start as a musician playing first violin for Wilhelm Furtwaengler during that great conductor's tenure as conductor of the Leipzig Gewandhaus orchestra .... not a bad way to learn the German repertory!Notwithstanding this pedigree, Munch's performance style seems to me to owe more to the example of Furtwaengler's great rival Toscanini: tempi are quick (sometimes almost breathless), articulation is brilliant, accents are strong, and rhythms are sharply projected. Certainly this is distinguished music-making and very, very exciting. (For example, if you think the Brahms First Piano Concerto is a massive, somewhat stodgy essay in musical gloom, wait till you hear Munch and the young Gary Graffman tear through it. Their incredibly thrilling performance will instantly remind you that Brahms was a very young man when he wrote that concerto!)Sony/RCA by-and-large have produced sonically handsome CD transfers of recordings that date back, in most cases, to the late 1950s. All are stereo except for one fine-sounding mono CD that contains cherishable performances of Schumann's Genoveva Overture and Brahms's Second Piano Concerto (with the great Arthur Rubinstein, no less). In fact, the only disappointing recording in the set is a harsh-sounding 1960ish stereo recording of Schubert's Second Symphony. I recall that Lp versions of that performance also sounded rough, so I suppose the problem lies with RCA's master tape.All the other recordings in this fabulous set are quite enjoyable technically; remarkable, considering that the originals now are all over 50 years old. These few technical quibbles shouldn't keep anyone who is serious about music from purchasing this set. The only real problem I have is bitter disappointment that no one .... and I mean NO ONE .... today conducts with the kind of burning conviction that Munch brings to bear in these amazing, life-enhancing performances.Too bad that Sony/RCA offer no program notes, but that's a small disappointment as the price for this set is very reasonable, ridiculously cheap really. If this kind of music stirs your soul, run, don't walk, to buy this set!Contents:CD 1/Mendelssohn Scottish Symphony; Violin Concerto (Jascha Heifetz); Capriccio Brilliante (Gary Graffman)CD 2/Mendelssohn Italian & Reformation Symphonies; Scherzo from Octet for StringsCD 3/Brahms Symphony No. 1/Tragic OvertureCD 4/Brahms Symphony No. 2 and Symphony No. 4CD 5/Schubert Symphony No, 2/Brahms First Piano Concerto (Gary Graffman)CD 6/Schubert Symphony No. 8 ('Unfinished') and Symphony No. 9 ('Great' C Major Symphony)CD 7/Schumann Spring Symphony and 'Manfred' OvertureCD 8/Schumann 'Genoveva' Overture/Brahms Second Piano Concerto (Arthur Rubinstein)

音が良い。リマスターがとても良くされている。中古品とは思えない。対応も早く、満足している。ボストン交響楽団の演奏は全体に安定しているが、私としてはパリ管の華やかさが好きだな。ブラームス1番が。

Brahms 1st piano concerto by Gary Graffman is the main reason to buy this box. Even if these works were recorded in the 50's and 60"s the sound is incredible.

I think you either like Munch's style with the BSO or you don't; it's down to personal taste. More well known for his interpretation of french composers, his results with german/austrian composers are variable. His tempo is generally rapid and not too precise, and sometimes that works well to 'lighten up' some otherwise 'heavy' compositions.For example, his interpretations Brahms in this set are the lightest I've ever heard, the symphonies more reminiscent of Mendelssohn. In particular, the 2nd piano concerto with Arthur Rubinstein is as bright as one of Haydn's. If you want a change, this is good, but it may not please traditionalists.The Schubert 8/9th symphonies work very well, but this disc (along with Mendelssohn 4/5) is available on Living Stereo SACD with far superior sound quality  Symphony No. 9 In C (Munch) . The Mendelssohn 3 (Scottish) has some weird changes of tempo that I felt uncomfortable with, but for me, nobody can top Peter Maag's timeless performances.The sound quality is average for recordings of this age, and nothing to be compared with his remastered recordings on the Living Stereo SACDs.In summary, I would class this set as average to good, but the bonus of a price of less than 1.50 per CD (at least it was when/where I bought it) leads me to rate it as a good overall buy. Symphony No. 9 In C (Munch)

Charles Munch ist hauptsächlich als herausragender Interpret französischer Werke bekannt. Als Elsäßer kannte er sich aber ebensogut mit deutscher Klassik aus. Hier erleben wir den Dirigenten und das Boston SO in hervorragenden Aufnahmen mit deutschen romantischen Werken.MENDELSSOHNS Violinkonzert mit Heifetz gilt als eine Referenzaufnahme. Die Symphonien Nr. 3-5 können ebenfalls mit allen anderen Aufnahmen konkurrieren - Munch versteht es, die Werke mitreißend und ausgewogen darzubieten (bei der Reformationssymphonie gibt es leider auch kaum Alternativ-Aufnahmen, die von herausragenden Dirigenten stammen). Sehr schön ist auch das Oktett-Scherzo. Dazu gibt es das Capriccio brilliant mit Graffman.Derselbe spielt auch das erste Klavierkonzert von BRAHMS. Orchestral überzeugend, aber der Klavierpart wird anderswo besser dargeboten. Das zweites Klavierkonzert mit Rubinstein überzeugt dagegen durchweg (leider nur in Mono aufgenommen). Die Symphonien Nr. 1, 2 & 4 und die Tragische Overtüre sind ebenfalls sehr mitreißend - Munch hat entscheidend mit dazu beigetragen, Brahms im französischen Kulturraum durchzusetzen.Von SCHUBERT werden hier die Symphonien Nr. 2, 8 & 9 sehr angemessen präsentiert, während von SCHUMANN die Symphonie Nr. 1 (sehr schwungvoll) und die Manfred- und Genoveva-Overtüre (letztere leider auch nur in Mono) dabei sind.Insgesamt sehr zu empfehlen wie eigentlich alle Bostoner RCA-Aufnahmen von Munch - auch von der Klangqualität (1951-1960) her.P.S.: In einer führenden deutschen Klassik-Zeitschrift wurden Interpretationen von Mendelssohns 3. Symphonie verglichen. Neben Dutzenden Aufnahmen guten Durchschnitts fand die Munch-Aufnahme gar nicht erst Erwähnung. Im I. Weltkrieg wurde Munch noch zur deutschen Wehrmacht eingezogen, danach gehörte seine Heimat nicht mehr zu Deutschland. Aber seine Interpretationen gerade auch deutscher Musik gehören auch zum kulturellen Erbe Deutschlands - was man hier leider nicht immer zu schätzen weiß (im Gegensatz zu Frankreich).

Much's highly energized readings can seem brash on occasion, but the energy and shear joy of the music making are unmissable.