Sym.9: Furtwangler / Bayreuther Festspielhaus

This is a great recording with a story behind it. In 1951 the Bayreuth Festival was held for the first time since the Second World War. The political overtones of the event were unavoidable and it seized the attention of the world. For opening night Wilhelm Furtwangler was asked to conduct Beethoven's Choral Symphony. He was nearing the end of his career but fate had somehow denied him the chance to record the Ninth. And so here he was, center stage amidst a firestorm of press and political intrigue, finally getting that chance.
Few musicians responded to the challenge of live music making like Furtwangler. His interpretations were deeply considered yet flexible, changing even from concert to concert. His wartime performances had a cataclysmic intensity, years later they mellowed considerably. This one, appropriately, has the feeling of a great occasion, mysterious and epochal. The first movement does not rush into its central conflict, and the adagio almost drifts into the consciousness, unfolding in serene waves. The final ode is grand and momentous, pausing briefly to view the heights before closing with a wild burst of energy. The monaural sound is decent and there is no more satisfying performance of Beethoven's Ninth on record.