The eminent Dutch conductor Eduard van Beinum described his relationship with orchestral musicians as ‘first among equals’. He said of his work ‘One must certainly not by tyrannical. A conductor must immerse himself in the possibilities of each and every orchestra member and bring everything out of them.’ It was a huge shock, when during a rehearsal of Brahms’ First Symphony on 13 April 1959, van Beinum suffered a fatal heart attack on the podium in the Concertgebouw at the age of just 58. His qualities as a musician had perhaps not been fully appreciated during his lifetime, but after his death, his recordings allow us to re-evaluate his impeccable musical intuition, his good taste and the spontaneity of his music-making. Collected here in one edition that predominately features the two orchestras he was Principal Conductor of — the Concertgebouworkest & London Philharmonic Orchestra — are the complete recordings he made for both Decca and Philips.
Highlights include:
o A sparkling interpretation of Beethoven’s ballet music to The Creature of Prometheus with the LPO
o Brahms’ Symphony cycle recorded with the Concertgebouworkest – a radically modern approach for the time they were made
o Lauded recordings of Ravel’s Rapsodie espagnole (1946) ‘Without question, this is the best recording we have had of this pungently evocative work.’ — Gramophone; Boléro and La Valse and Debussy’s La Mer, Stravinsky’s Le Sacre du Printemps (1946) ‘A truly brilliant recording, bringing out more of the score than I should have thought possible’ — Gramophone
o Berlioz’ Symphonie fantastique (one of his most celebrated recordings full of incisive precision and spontaneous explosive abandon)
o Reference recordings of Bruckner’s 7, 8 & 9th Symphonies – “Bruckner is my bread and butter” said Van Beinum
o Diapason d’Or award-winning recordings of Mendelssohn’s Symphony No.4 & A Midsummer Night’s Dream (CO) & Hebrides Overture (LPO)
o A series of 78rpm recordings made for ‘Dutch Decca’, Telefunken & Deutsche Grammophon, including many works van Beinum never recorded commercially, such as Richard Strauss’s Don Juan and Smetana’s Vltava – all released for the first time in nearly 70 years, in new hi-res transfers made especially for this collection
o Bonus Audio documentary feature produced by Jon Tolansky, with commentary by a number of musicians who worked with Eduard van Beinum
o 102pp book (English/Dutch/French/German) with essays by music historian Niek Nelissen and Jon Tolansky
CD1 J.S. Bach*– Orchestral Suites 1–4
1:21:51
2-3 Clarke* / Handel-Harty* / Handel* / J.C. Bach*– Trumpet Voluntary (Prince Of Denmark's March) / Royal Fireworks Suite • Water Music Suite** / Water Music (Complete) § / Symphonies Op. 18, Nos. 2 & 4 §
1:40:52
4–6 Mozart* / Reger*– Concerto for Flute & Harp, K. 299 • Symphonies Nos. 29 & 33 / 35** • Piano Concerto No. 24 • Clarinet Concerto • Serenade No. 9 “Posthorn” / Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Mozart
3:33:40
7-8 Haydn* / Beethoven*– Symphonies Nos. 94 “Surprise”, 96 “Miracle” (1952) & 97 • Symphony No. 96 “Miracle” (1947) • No. 100 “Military”** / Creatures Of Prometheus**
2:26:39
9 Beethoven*– Overtures: Prometheus • Leonore 1 & 3 • Fidelio • Egmont • Coriolan • Consecration
1:01:16
10 Beethoven*– Violin Concerto, Op.61 • Symphony No. 2
1:16:30
11–12 Schubert*– Symphonies Nos. 3, 4 “Tragic”, 5, 6, & 8 “Unfinished” • Rosamunde, D.797: Overture & Entr'Acte No. 1
2:28:01
13-14 Mendelssohn* / Beethoven* / Rossini*– Hebrides Overture** • Violin Concerto, Op. 64** • Midsummer Night's Dream: Scherzo, Intermezzo, Notturno (1946, 1952) • Symphony No. 4 “Italian” / Leonore 2 / Overtures: Scala Di Seta • Gazza Ladra • William Tell • Semiramide
2:33:35
15–16 Berlioz* / Brahms*– Symphonie Fantastique (1946, 1951) • La Damnation de Faust: Marche Hongroise, Ballet Des Sylphes, Feux Follets (1946, 1952) • Les Troyens: Marche Troyenne • Overture “Carnaval Romain” (1956, 1951) / “Haydn” Variations, Op. 56a (1952)
2:34:21
17–19 Brahms*– Symphony No.1 (1947) • “Haydn” Variations (1949)** • Symphony No.1 (1951) • Symphony No. 3 (1946)** • Symphony No.2 • Symphony No. 4 §
3:26:10
20 Brahms*– Symphony No.1 (1958) § • Symphony No. 3 (1956)
1:15:12
21–22 Brahms*– Piano Concerto No.1 • Tragic Overture (1952) • Academic Festival Overture (1952) • Alto Rhapsody § • Violin Concerto § • “Haydn” Variations (1958) § • Tragic Overture (1958) § • Academic Festival Overture (1958) §
2:43:08
23–25 Bruckner*– Symphonies Nos. 5 §, 7 (1947) & 7 (1953)
3:09:55
26–27 Bruckner*– Symphonies Nos. 8 & 9
2:10:58
28 Mahler*– Symphony No. 4 • Lieder Eines Fahrenden Gesellen (1947)**
1:09:22
29 Mahler*– Das Lied von Der Erde • Lieder Eines Fahrenden Gesellen (1956)
1:15:42
30 Lalo* / Tchaikovsky*– Symphonie Espagnole** / Waltz, from Serenade For Strings • Andante Cantabile, from String Quartet No.1 • Romeo & Juliet** • Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a §
1:23:59
31 Rimsky-Korsakov* / Borodin* / Bizet* / Debussy*– Scheherazade / Polovtsian Dances** / L'Arlésienne Suites Nos. 1 & 2 Excerpts (1950)** / Danses (Sacrée et Profane) Pour Harpe et Orchestre***
1:23:38
32–33 Stravinsky* / Kodály* / Bartók*– Sacre Du Printemps • Chant Du Rossignol • Firebird Suite 1919 / Hary Janos Suite / Concerto For Orchestra • Music For Strings, Percussion & Celesta
2:37:20
34 Sibelius*– Violin Concerto** • En Saga • Tapiola • Finlandia § • Valse Triste §
1:20:21
35 Franck* / Ravel*– Psyché • Variations Symphoniques / Rapsodie Espagnole • Boléro § • La Valse §
1:17:44
36 Debussy*– Nocturnes § • La Mer § • Images, Set 3
1:16:02
37 Elgar*– Cockaigne Overture • Cello Concerto • Elegy For Strings • The Wand Of Youth Suites 1 & 2
1:16:45
38 Britten* / Arnold* / Pijper*– Spring Symphony [Live: World Premiere] • Peter Grimes: Four Sea Interludes & Passacaglia / Beckus The Dandipratt Overture** / Symphony No.3
1:26:23
39 Britten* / Debussy* / Thomas* / Grieg* / Nicolai* / Sousa*– Peter Grimes: Four Sea Interludes & Passacaglia (1953) • The Young Person's Guide To The Orchestra / Berceuse Héroïque § • Marche Écossaise § / Overture To Mignon / Two Elegiac Melodies § / Die Lustigen Weiber Von Windsor: Overture / The Stars & Stripes Forever §
1:16:00
40 Pijper* / Henkemans* / Diepenbrock*– Six Epigrams • Concerto For Piano / Violin Concerto / Marsyas, of de Betooverde Bron (Incidental Music Excerpts) • Te Deum
1:20:59
41–42 Brahms* / Bizet* / Reger* / Dvořák* / Smetana* / Berlioz* / Wagner* / Beethoven* / J.S. Bach* / R. Strauss* / Sibelius*– Rare 78rpm Transfers 1941-1949 — “Haydn” Variations / L'Arlésienne Suite No.1, No.2: Farandole / Valse D'Amour (Ballet Suite Op.130) / 8 Slavonic Dances / Vltava (Mà Vlast: Moldau) • Benvenuto Cellini Overture / Prelude To Lohengrin Act III / Egmont Overture / Suite No.2: V, VII • Suite No.3: I–V / Don Juan / Finlandia
2:12:46
43 Beethoven*– Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 4 §
1:01:29
44 Eduard van Beinum– Audio Documentary Feature: Memories – 1. Introduction: Background and Overview** • 2. The Concertgebouw Orchestra • 3. The London Philharmonic Orchestra** • 4. The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the Concertgebouworkest
1:05:35
