Eduard Van Beinum: Complete Recordings on Decca & Philips

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:
– A sparkling interpretation of Beethovens ballet music to The Creature of Prometheus with the LPO
– Brahms Symphony cycle recorded with the Concertgebouworkest a radically modern approach for the time they were made
– Lauded recordings of Ravels Rapsodie espagnole (1946) Without question, this is the best recording we have had of this pungently evocative work. Gramophone; Bolro and La Valse and Debussys La Mer, Stravinskys Le Sacre du Printemps (1946) A truly brilliant recording, bringing out more of the score than I should have thought possible Gramophone
– Berlioz Symphonie fantastique (one of his most celebrated recordings full of incisive precision and spontaneous explosive abandon)
– Reference recordings of Bruckners 7, 8 & 9th Symphonies Bruckner is my bread and butter said Van Beinum
– Diapason dOr award-winning recordings of Mendelssohns Symphony No.4 & A Midsummer Nights Dream (CO) & Hebrides Overture (LPO)
– A series of 78rpm recordings made for Dutch Decca, Telefunken & Deutsche Grammophon, including many works van Beinum never recorded commercially, such as Richard Strausss Don Juan and Smetanas Vltava all released for the first time in nearly 70 years, in new hi-res transfers made especially for this collection
– Bonus Audio documentary feature produced by Jon Tolansky, with commentary by a number of musicians who worked with Eduard van Beinum
– 102pp book (English/Dutch/French/German) with essays by music historian Niek Nelissen and Jon Tolansky

TRACKS:
CD 1
1 J.S. Bach: Orchestral Suites Nos.14 Concertgebouworkest
CD 2
1 Clark: Trumpet Voluntary Handel: Music for the Royal Fireworks Suite; Water Music Suite London Philharmonic Orchestra
2 J.C. Bach: Symphonies Nos.2 & 4, Op.18 CO
CD 3
1 Handel: Water Music CO
CD 4
1 Mozart: Concerto for Flute & Harp Hubert Barwahser, Phia Berghout; Symphonies Nos.29 & 33 CO
CD 5
1 Mozart: Symphony No.35 Haffner; Piano Concerto No.24 Kathleen Long, LPO
2 Mozart: Clarinet Concerto Bram de Wilde, CO
CD 6
1 Mozart: Serenade in D, K.320 Posthorn
2 Reger: Variations & Fugue on a theme by Mozart CO
CD 7
1 Haydn: Symphonies Nos.94, 96 (1952 rec.) & 97 CO
CD 8
1 Haydn: Symphony No.96 (1947 rec.) CO
2 Haydn: Symphony No.100 Beethoven: The Creatures of Prometheus LPO
CD 9
1 Beethoven: Overtures LPO
CD 10
1 Beethoven: Violin Concerto, Op.61 Arthur Grumiaux; Symphony No.2 CO
CD 11
1 Schubert: Symphonies Nos.4 & 5; Rosamunde CO
CD 12
1 Schubert Symphonies Nos.3, 6 & 8 Unfinished CO
CD 13
1 Mendelssohn: The Hebrides Overture; Violin Concerto Alfredo Campoli, LPO
2 Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1946 rec.)
3 Beethoven: Leonore Overture No.2 Rossini: Overture to La scala di seta CO
CD 14
1 Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1952 rec.); Symphony No.4 Rossini: Overtures CO
CD 15
1 Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique (1946 rec.);
2 La Damnation de Faust (excerpts: 1946 rec.);
3 Marche troyenne; Le Carnaval Romain Ouverture (1956 rec.) CO
CD 16
1 Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique (1951 rec.);
2 Le Carnaval Romain Ouverture (1951 rec.);
3 La Damnation de Faust (excerpts: 1947 rec.)
4 Brahms: St Anthony Variations (1952 rec.) CO
CD 17
1 Brahms: Symphony No.1 (1947 rec.); St Anthony Variations (1949 rec.) CO
CD 18
1 Brahms: Symphony No.1 (1951 rec.) CO
2 Brahms: Symphony No.3 (1946 rec.) LPO
CD 19
1 Brahms: Symphonies Nos.2 & 4 CO
CD 20
1 Brahms: Symphonies Nos.1 (1958 rec.) & 3 (1958 rec.) CO
CD 21
1 Brahms: Piano Concerto No.1 Clifford Curzon; Tragic Overture (1952 rec.);
2 Academic Festival Overture (1952 rec.); Alto Rhapsody CO
CD 22
1 Brahms: Violin Concerto Arthur Grumiaux; St Anthony Variations (1958 rec.);
2 Tragic Overture (1958 rec.);
3 Academic Festival Overture (1958 rec.) CO
CD 23
1 Bruckner: Symphony No.5 in B flat CO
CD 24
1 Bruckner: Symphony No.7 in E (1947 rec.) CO
CD 25
1 Bruckner: Symphony No.7 in E (1953 rec.) CO
CD 26
1 Bruckner: Symphony No.8 in C minor CO
CD 27
1 Bruckner: Symphony No.9 in D minor CO
CD 28
1 Mahler: Symphony No.4 in G CO
2 Mahler: Lieder eines fahrenden Gessellen (1946 rec.) LPO
CD 29
1 Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde; Lieder Eines fahrenden Gesellen (1956 rec.) CO
CD 30
1 Lalo: Symphonie espagnole Alfredo Campoli, LPO
2 Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings; Andante cantabile for cello & strings; Nutcracker Suite CO
3 Tchaikovsky: Romeo & Juliet OvertureFantasia
CD 31
1 Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade CO
2 Borodin: Polovtsian Dances Bizet: LArlsienne Suites (excerpts: 1950 rec.) LPO
3 Debussy: Danses pour harpe et orchestre Chamber Music Society of Amsterdam
CD 32
1 Stravinsky: Le Sacre du Printemps; Le Chant du Rossignol Kodaly: Hry Jnos Suite CO
CD 33
1 Bartk: Concerto for Orchestra; Music for Strings, Percussion & Celeste Stravinsky: The Firebird Suite CO
CD 34
1 Sibelius: Violin Concerto Jan Damen; Tone Poems LPO
CD 35
1 Franck: Psych; Variations symphoniques Gza Anda
2 Ravel: Rapsodie espagnole; Bolro; La Valse CO
CD 36
1 Debussy: Nocturnes; La Mer; Images (Set 3) CO
CD 37
1 Elgar: Cockaigne Overture; Cello Concerto Anthony Pini; Elegy for Strings; The Wand of Youth Suites 1 & 2 LPO
CD 38
1 Britten: Spring Symphony Pijper: Symphony No.3 CO
2 Britten Four Sea Interludes & Passacaglia from Peter Grimes (1947 rec.).
3 Arnold: Beckus the Dandipratt LPO
CD 39
1 Britten: Four Sea Interludes & Passacaglia from Peter Grimes (1953 rec.); The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra
2 Debussy: Berceuse hroque; Marche cossaise Thomas: Overture to Mignon Grieg: Two Elegiac Melodies
3 Nicolai: Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor Overture Sousa: The Stars & Stripes Forever CO
CD 40
1 Pijper: Six Epigrams; Concerto for Piano & Orchestra Hans Henkemans Henkemans: Violin Concerto Theo Olof
2 Diepenbrock: Marsyas, of De betooverde bron RC 101 Incidental music excerpts CO
CD 41
1 Eduard van Beinum 78 Rarities I
2 Brahms: St Anthony Variations Bizet: LArlsienne Reger: Valse damour (Ballet Suite Op.130) Smetana: Vltava (M vlast) CO
CD 42
1 Eduard van Beinum 78 Rarities II
2 Berlioz: Benvenuto Cellini Overture Wagner: Prelude to Lohengrin Act III Beethoven: Egmont Overture
3 J.S. Bach: Suite No.2 in B minor BWV 1067 (excerpts); Suite No.3 in D BWV 1068
4 R. Strauss: Don Juan Sibelius: Finlandia CO
CD 43
1 Eduard van Beinum Memories
2 Audio documentary feature produced by Jon Tolansky, with commentary by a number of musicians who worked with Eduard van Beinum