EDUARD VAN BEINUM: THE COMPLETE DECCA AND PHILIPS RECORDINGS (43 CDS) DECCA

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