Both works are played superbly, and Audite's recording team has captured their sound to perfection.

His Piano Concerto, however, is of crucial importance, and it shares the SACD with the symphony and gets a grand, sweeping and altogether winning performance from Herbert Schuch.

This is the third volume of the Cremona’s Beethoven Quartets. The first installment with Quartets 6, 11, and 16 was reviewed by Greg Pagel (S/O 2013). I took on 8 and 12 (M/J 2014). I felt with 8 and 12, two of Beethoven’s best, that the performances were too direct and uninflected. The players’ technical abilities are first rate, so I was hoping that time and experience would deepen their Beethoven. (The liner notes to the present release liken the Cremona, a young Italian group, to the Quartetto Italiano, and I guess I have to call that premature!)
If there are problems with maturity, they don’t show up in Quartet 4, an enthusiastic, dramatic affair from early in Beethoven’s career. The playing is sharply articulate, enthusiastic, and somewhat Haydnesque—in other words, a fine, outgoing, “young” performance. Some of my characterization of the playing comes from the sonics, which are bright and leave violinist Cristiano Gualco sounding a bit wiry; put another way, the CD hasn’t very much warmth, so this doesn’t sound like a burnished German group.
Quartet 7 (Razoumovsky 1) is nicely done—standard tempos with fine control of the many exposed places. I was particularly pleased that when called for, their playing can be very quiet. Many groups glide over Beethoven’s dynamics and sforzandos, but the Cremona observes them well, bringing interest to the piece without calling undue attention.
As for Quartet 16, the Grosse Fuge, I’m never sure what to say. The piece seems to be overwhelming in its intellect and emotion, but I’m not certain I “get it”. At any rate the Cremona, like most quartets, slash and burn their way through the piece.
In sum I have a better impression of the Cremona in this installment, even if I wouldn’t place them with the Quartetto Italiano quite yet. The bright sound is a small impediment for me, but on different equipment with surround sound it might be perfectly fine.

Audite has remastered the live recording from the original tapes, and has generally done a fine job; and Furtwängler was usually at his best in live performances rather than in the recording studio. So this is a version of the Ninth that is about as good a reflection on Furtwängler and his legacy as anyone is likely to get. [...] It has all the trademarks of intensity and emotional expressiveness associated with Furtwängler, and also his trademark capriciousness with tempos and sometimes even with rhythms.

Den RIAS Kammerchor gibt es genauso wie den Sender nicht mehr. Das Label Audite hat nun aber unter dem Titel „Stille Nacht... Christmas Choir Music“ eine Sammlung von Aufnahmen zusammengestellt, die das Ensemble zwischen 1972 und 1986 unter der Leitung von Uwe Gronostay eingespielt hat. Fast überirdisch schön, wie sie etwa „Maria durch ein Dornwald ging“ oder „In dulce jubilo“ singen.

Eine CD-Reihe zur Geschichte der Luzerner Festspiele bringt das Label Audite...

Eine CD-Reihe zur Geschichte der Luzerner Festspiele bringt das Label Audite...

Eine CD-Reihe zur Geschichte der Luzerner Festspiele bringt das Label Audite...

Wer seine Musik verkaufen will, der muss sie so einrichten, dass möglichst viele Menschen Freude daran haben können. Aus diesem Grund haben Komponisten viele ihrer großen Werke für kleinere Besetzung umgeschrieben, bevorzugt für das Klavier. Schönberg hat es mit seiner Kammersymphonie gemacht, Beethoven mit der Großen Fuge und Schumann mit seiner 2. Symphonie – jeweils für Klavier zu vier Händen. Björn Lehmann und Norie Takahashi präsentieren uns demnach Originalwerke, die als Kompositionen für Klavier durchaus eigenständig sind, trotz der bekannteren Vorlage. Den beiden Interpreten gebührt also zunächst das Verdienst, dass sie programmatisch nichts Künstliches schaffen. Dies gilt auch für ihre musikalische Darbietung, die in keiner Phase den Versuch einer klanglichen Kopie der Ausgangspartitur darstellt. Im Gegenteil!

Das Duo Lehmann-Takahashi entflechtet das komplexe Gewebe der Schönberg-Symphonie, verleiht ihr dadurch eine packende Intensität und viel Spannung, gepaart mit wundervoll lyrischen Momenten. Gleiches gilt für die eigentlich starre Struktur von Beethovens Opus 134, das hier mit Leben gefüllt wird und dessen formale Ketten musikalisch gesprengt werden. Robert Schumanns 2. Symphonie könnte bei diesem Duo glatt als große Sonate durchgehen.

The Duo Lehmann Takahashi plays transcriptions of works by Schönberg, Beethoven and Schumann with much intensity and gives the music a new face and character.

The previous two volumes in this series have proved to be most impressive, putting this series on track to be one of the finest available. [...] Oren Shevlin matches the orchestra’s sensitive entry bringing a lovely tone, full of feeling, rich and mellow. He provides a deep thoughtfulness together with a fine technique. [...] This is certainly amongst the finest performances of this concerto on record.