Beethoven was Wilhelm Furtwängler's guiding musical force. In his interpretations of the symphonies, the conductor generates irresistible dramatic momentum - and a constant sense of imaginative freshness - through the interrelationship of form, harmony, texture, rhythm and tempo. These recordings, all made in the late 1940s and early 1950s, in the Musikverein in Vienna and at concerts in London, Bayreuth and Stockholm, have been remastered in 192kHz/24-bit at Art & Son Studio (in 2021 for the 7 recordings included in The Complete Wilhelm Furtwängler on Records and newly for this edition for the 3 other ones), bringing their sound more alive than ever before and for the first time here on a physical medium.
As a bonus the 5th Symphony live performance from 1950 in Copenhagen restored in HD from an excellent condition analogue source has been added.
1 Symphony No. 1 in C Major, Op. 21: I. Adagio Molto - Allegro Con Brio
2 Symphony No. 1 in C Major, Op. 21: II. Andante Cantabile Con Moto
3 Symphony No. 1 in C Major, Op. 21: III. Menuetto. Allegro Molto E Vivace
4 Symphony No. 1 in C Major, Op. 21: IV. Adagio - Allegro Molto E Vivace
5 Symphony No. 3 in E-Flat Major, Op. 55 "Eroica": I. Allegro Con Brio
6 Symphony No. 3 in E-Flat Major, Op. 55 "Eroica": II. Marcia Funebre. Adagio Assai
7 Symphony No. 3 in E-Flat Major, Op. 55 "Eroica": III. Scherzo. Allegro Vivace
8 Symphony No. 3 in E-Flat Major, Op. 55 "Eroica": IV. Allegro Molto - Poco Andante - Presto
9 Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 36: I. Adagio - Allegro Con Brio (Live)
10 Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 36: II. Larghetto (Live)
11 Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 36: III. Scherzo. Allegro (Live)
12 Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 36: I. Allegro Molto (Live)
13 Symphony No. 4 in B-Flat Major, Op. 60: I. Adagio - Allegro Vivace
14 Symphony No. 4 in B-Flat Major, Op. 60: II. Adagio
15 Symphony No. 4 in B-Flat Major, Op. 60: III. Menuetto. Allegro Vivace
16 Symphony No. 4 in B-Flat Major, Op. 60: IV. Allegro Ma Non Troppo
17 Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67: I. Allegro Con Brio
18 Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67: II. Andante Con Moto
19 Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67: III. Allegro
20 Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67: IV. Allegro - Presto
21 Symphony No. 7 in a Major, Op. 92: I. Poco Sostenuto - Vivace
22 Symphony No. 7 in a Major, Op. 92: II. Allegretto
23 Symphony No. 7 in a Major, Op. 92: III. Presto - Assai Meno Presto
24 Symphony No. 7 in a Major, Op. 92: IV. Allegro Con Brio
25 Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68 "Pastoral": I. Erwachen Heiterer Empfindungen Bei Der Ankunft Auf Dem Lande. Allegro Ma Non Troppo
26 Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68 "Pastoral": II. Scene Am Bach. Andante Molto Moto
27 Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68 "Pastoral": III. Lustiges Zusammensein Der Landleute. Allegro
28 Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68 "Pastoral": IV. Gewitter. Sturm. Allegro -
29 Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68 "Pastoral": V. Hirtengesang. Frohe Und Dankbare Gefühle Nach Dem Sturm. Allegretto
30 Symphony No. 8 in F Major, Op. 93: I. Allegro Vivace E Con Brio (Live)
31 Symphony No. 8 in F Major, Op. 93: II. Allegro Scherzando (Live)
32 Symphony No. 8 in F Major, Op. 93: III. Tempo Di Menuetto (Live)
33 Symphony No. 8 in F Major, Op. 93: IV. Allegro Vivace (Live)
34 Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 "Choral": Ambience I (Live)
35 Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 "Choral": I. Allegro Ma Non Troppo, Un Poco Maestoso (Live)
36 Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 "Choral": Ambience II (Live)
37 Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 "Choral": II. Molto Vivace - Presto (Live)
38 Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 "Choral": Ambience III (Live)
39 Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 "Choral": III. Adagio Molto E Cantabile - Andante Moderato (Live)
40 Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 "Choral": IV. (A) Presto - Allegro Assai (Live)
41 Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 "Choral": IV. (B) Presto - Recitativo. "O Freunde, Nicht Diese Töne!" (Live)
42 Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 "Choral": IV. (C) Allegro Assai Vivace. "Froh, Froh, Wie Seine Sonnen" (Live)
43 Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 "Choral": IV. (D) Andante Maestoso. "Seid Umschlungen, Millionen" (Live)
44 Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 "Choral": IV. (E) Allegro Ma Non Tanto. "Freude, Tochter Aus Elysium" (Live)
45 Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67: I. Allegro Con Brio (Live)
46 Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67: II. Andante Con Moto (Live)
47 Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67: III. Allegro (Live)
48 Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67: IV. Allegro - Presto (Live)
Beethoven was Wilhelm Furtwängler's guiding musical force. In his interpretations of the symphonies, the conductor generates irresistible dramatic momentum - and a constant sense of imaginative freshness - through the interrelationship of form, harmony, texture, rhythm and tempo. These recordings, all made in the late 1940s and early 1950s, in the Musikverein in Vienna and at concerts in London, Bayreuth and Stockholm, have been remastered in 192kHz/24-bit at Art & Son Studio (in 2021 for the 7 recordings included in The Complete Wilhelm Furtwängler on Records and newly for this edition for the 3 other ones), bringing their sound more alive than ever before and for the first time here on a physical medium.
As a bonus the 5th Symphony live performance from 1950 in Copenhagen restored in HD from an excellent condition analogue source has been added.
