Beethoven - Sym No 9 - Willem Mengelberg, ACO (1938, live) [Philidor; FLAC]

Loved and hated during his lengthy reign as chief conductor of the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra (now the Royal Concertgebouw), Willem Mengelberg was without question one of the great orchestral interpreters of the last century. His technique involved a seemingly endless analysis of the score; and since his many surviving scores show endless erasures and differently aged notes, his evolving interpretations were also a feature of his style. No two performances were guaranteed to be alike. Far from being dry as dust from such intellectual study, he lavished lengthy rehearsals on phrasing and detail, then produced riveting performances in public. His methods evoked scorn from a few of his contemporaries, and some of his players wished him gone from their lives, but the quality of his results can't be denied. He was no timekeeper. He was no superficial, charismatic PR agent. He was a brilliant, idiosyncratic conductor.

Two Beethoven Ninths survive from his baton: one, here, from 1938, and one from 1940. Both were recorded live, before an audience, and in quite good sound for live concerts of the day. (Which isn't to say they are great fidelity but better than one might suspect.) This one is notable for its vast, lyrical sweep: those strings of his are amazing, even given the audio. His solo quartet in the final movement is slightly better than competent, but his vision of the entire movement holds one spellbound; as does the anger and intensity of the first movement. The adagio, though, may just be the finest thing in it. Suffice to say, the entire performance is worth hearing, and comparing to more recent versions that possess far better sound, but arguably less rehearsal, blood, and exaltation than Mengelberg gets from his musicians.

Two bios of Mengelberg, and two "philosophical" essays on the Ninth are included, as well as images.

You can find all my classical uploads by searching on Philidor, or checking this thread:

http://kickasstorrents.ee/community/show/philidor-s-classical-stuff/?page=5#post15723647