Willem Mengelberg and Beethoven
Following The Mahler Recordings (2020), the Willem Mengelberg Society has now released a double CD of works by Beethoven performed by the Concertgebouw Orchestra under the direction of its then chief conductor Willem Mengelberg.
Listening to these recordings, it’s as if you’ve travelled back eighty years in a time machine. Considering that the music was recorded with a single microphone, the end result is miraculous, thanks to Jochem Geene. Mengelberg once again shows himself to be an idiosyncratic conductor. His interpretation of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony is remarkable, yet his striking ability to captivate thrills contemporary listeners, too. Not to mention the awe-inspiring performance of the Seventh Symphony or the sparkling Fifth Piano Concerto featuring a young Cor de Groot as soloist.
The double CD can be purchased for EUR 30 (including shipping) at willemmengelberg.nl.
Read more about Willem Mengelberg and the Concertgebouw Orchestra