Wilhelm Furtwängler Coriolan, overture

[mondieumonvieux]

Fantastisch, ungeheuer! Fantastique, foudroyant! Furt was simply an amazing conductor. This is pure sound and fury! Nobody has the strings bite quite so powerfully at the opening of this masterpiece, the crescendi are spot-on and absolutely terrifying in their impact! One for the ages, un point, c'est tout.

[jorclo22]

you want a sample of great dynamics in a performance? look no further. also, the cellos are incredible.

[paulostroff99]

Lovely playing and conducting.TY petrof4056 for posting.

[telefant]

For me it's the best recording of Coriolan ever. I try to imagine how it would sound with modern stereo equipment...

[padredemishijos12]

Cannot waite until the Venezuelans play this with Gustavo Dudamel conducting. They did a great interpretation of Mahler's Second Symphony, Ressurection. Just fantastic.

[cscyrille2]

C M able

[TheWillyJ16]

best version along with kleiber's

[Montanarus]

BEETHOVEN= FURTWÄNGLER

[7ashor]

Wilhelm Furtwängler is a poltergeist out-standing performance thx for uploading

[Thorne42]

I've actually played this in an orchestra. It was an utterly magnificent experience. The power of the music sweeps you along with it, and you get caught up in the musical journey of the piece. An astounding piece of music by Beethoven. It's such a tragedy that he never heard most of his best works.

[fbsv]

A fantastic Coriolan, it's been my favorite for years. The crescendo timpani roll accompanying the sustained escalating horn tones in the climax is not in the score - Furtwaengler added it and its effect is much more dramatic than the original.

[petrof4056]

@fbsv yeah, more dramatic than usual

[SELLTECH2008]

GRACIAS POR SU MAGISTRAL DIRECCION ,ESPERO QUE SU ALMA HAYA TRASCENDIDO , LO QUE YO NO , PERO LE RECUERDO , DE UN ANTIGUO CAMARADA CON CARIÑO

[SELLTECH2008]

Los comentarios hechos por aquellos que denostan del " regimen nazi" no aprecian la magnitud de la buena direccion magistral del MAESTRO FURTWANGLER , la musica brilla por encima de todo ello , mas aun quienes en nuestra existencia fuimos leales soldados , conocimos de la independencia del GRAN CONDUCTOR

[9samten]

Breathtaking. Art at its best.

[wickha]

Had most chilling and memorable musicial experience with this recording. One lunchtime it was played on the radio and my wife and I sat transfixed by the sheer power of Furtwangler's interpretation. What was really weird though was the room seemed to darken and the music seemed to generate a drama that I've never experienced before. I thought I might have imagined the whole thing but eight years later we still talk about the few minutes which were burnt into our minds.

[L1ghTx]

1:33 sounds like Super Smash Bros. Brawl. ? xD

Anyway: THIS is music, and not like "yo yo gonna kill your family, and yo your yo yo child"

[jon1carlo]

@L1ghTx Have you seen "A Clockwork Orange?"

[L1ghTx]

@jon1carlo Nope :)

[1955etienne]

merveille des merveilles ! aprescela affirmer que "furt" étaitr un suppot dunazisle ! ce n est pas possible

[1955etienne]

furt never was a nazi sympaathiser but an humanisr! you do hear aand live this music for understand this!!

[peymandavoudi]

there is a movie named "Taking sides"....it might give you some clues and answers about that old discution about Furtwängler and NS regime...his performance on Hitlers birthday, his membership in Nazi party, etc...

[Siberiaeterna]

Sublime!!!Je pleure.It makes me cry.Beethoven would have been happy.TOTALLY BEETHOVEN'S SOUL.Thanks

[TachieSteves]

i remember playing this in my youth orchestra.... we suck face compared to this...

[Pugophile]

Best Beethoven conductor ever.

[returnofthatoneguy]

My god...

What fury! What passion!

Ludwig would approve.

who gives a fuck about the rest of the details. this is an incredible interpretation, but a conductor is just a tool of the composer.

[returnofthatoneguy]

My god...

What fury! What passion!

Ludwig would approve.

who gives a fuck about the rest of the details. this is an incredible interpretation, but a conductor is just a tool of the composer.

[legOldtimer]

!943??

Did they recorded this on tape (AEG K4), or on film?

For 1943 is it a remarkable recording!

I think that anyone at that time could do this better than the Germans.

They were the only ones who had tape recorders.

Thanks for posting.

[Colopwnius]

In my opinion it's too fast

[revpgesq]

furious, near-desperate, with a scintilla of defiance.

my favorite version.

[TheQuantx]

In 1934 he was banned from conducting the premiere of Hindemith's opera Mathis der Maler. In 1936 he was offered the principal conductor's post at the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.

Furtwängler never joined the Nazi Party, like Richard Strauss, who made no secret of his dislike of the Nazis. Furtwängler always refused to give the Nazi salute, and there is film footage of him turning away and wiping his hand with a handkerchief after shaking the hand of Joseph Goebbels.

[TheQuantx]

Furt has never been a nazi, and he PROTECTED many musicians, jews, socialists, hungarian, etc., in his orchestra or around. This has been documented and

he's been cleared after his trial.

Call him a nazi is outrageous and false.

Who is she to claim that kind of thing, just as if she were chatting over a drink in a superficial St Germain des Prés's café ?

Disgusting superficiality from a so-called movie director so clearly overrated.

[TheQuantx]

Stupid superficial woman indeed, but so clever in her choices.

When doing a movie about Coco Chanel, she conveniently avoid to tell us about the pro-nazi Coco,

who used the anti-Jews laws of Vichy to buy out some her rivals in the couture world.

But when speaking about a true genius of XX century's directing, she calls him a nazi without even

knowing about him.

Ignorant woman

[EmperorMato]

7:05 and on... O_o

[zwieglupglup]

Furtwängler avait le génie de créer un monde à chaque interprétation. C'est ici magnifique. Et c'est ce que devrait comprendre tous ces petits Karajans et Toscaninis qui font de la musique comme on fabrique des voiture.

[petrof4056]

100% d'accord :-)

[Yanbsn]

Louer le génie de Furtwängler ne suffit pas ? Pourquoi taper sur d'autres légendes et écrire de telles inepties ? Oui, Furtwängler avait le génie que vous évoquez, et ce Coriolan est vraiment exceptionnel. Mais comparez vingt secondes de l'Otello de Toscanini avec celui de Furtwängler, et vous comprendrez que vos pseudo vérités ne tiennent pas la route une seconde. Idem pour le Requiem allemand de HVK, qui court loin devant celui de Furt. Ah, cet amour mesquin du noir OU blanc !

[uhartchristian]

Mais c est encore comme sous les nazis, on repete ce que Goering avait repetè et repetè jusqu a ce devient une veritè.

alors il y a des gens qui croyent encore aujourdhui que Furtwaengler etait un dieu de la musique et rien d autre existait autour. Savez vous au japon il y a des gens qui pensent que le palais imperial est le centre de la terre !!!! Ils le croyent fermement !!!!!

[lhiram23]

@zwieglupglup tout à fait d'accord avec votre commentaire, il y a un souffle, un aspect tragique que je n'ai jamais entendu jusqu'ici. ça respire la musique. dans una autre conception, je me réserve toutefois un grand amour pour Toscanini...

[TheQuantx]

1943 - This has the density of the highest tragedy.

Furtwangler protected many Jews and dissidents amongst his musicians.

[PhilippeRR1]

Very true! The whole Vienna Philarmonic owes its life to WF... So do 60 Jewish musicians from the Bayreuth Festival... not to speak of HeldenTenor Max Lorenz (whose homosexuality might have landed him in a death camp).

[TheQuantx]

But that greatly overrated movie director, Anne Fontaine, spoke about him on french national radio, France Culture, as the "nazi director". When I heard that, I was driving. I almost when into a wall. Stupid woman.

[PhilippeRR1]

Alas, when my compatriots decide to be half-way intellectual, they cannot resist the temptation of being judgemental. To paraphrase Albert CAMUS, when one is amongst French intelligensia (or lack thereof), one must not await the Last Judgement, it takes place everyday ("N'attendez pas le Jugement Dernier, il a lieu tous les jours..."). Stupid woman, in that case, is the understatement of the year.

[TheQuantx]

Let's not forget Fontaine committed a movie about Coco Chanel, who infamously used the anti-Jews laws of Vichy regime to take advantage of some rivals in the couture industry.

After the war, delightful Coco barely escaped "la tonte" when the british royals, who were her clients before the war, interceded with Winston Churchill and de Gaulle.

Seeing all the links here on You Tube (a Google company) where nazi propaganda is overtly lauded by hatred mongers, one cannot wonder much.

[PhilippeRR1]

Frightening indeed. Getting back to CORIOLAN, this performance is deep and intense. Bravo Maestro Wilhelm and your Berliners! If that's the Ouverture, I'd love to hear the whole opera (if Bethoween ever got to complete it).

[TheQuantx]

Strangely, all his overtures are stronger than any attempt of an opera.

[PhilippeRR1]

I think Beethowen was more into the instrumental scene. That said, Act II of FIDELIO was rather strong... though stronger still if you follow MAHLER's idea of inserting the LEONORA III Ouverture at the change of scene.

[boxers7x5]

@PhilippeRR1

The overture is to a play by von Collin.

[uhartchristian]

Coco Chanel, Alfred Cortot and all the others.... france has never yet did make his mea culpa. a lot of work has to be done in this sens. what happens today in austria also shows us that they did not learn anything from the past. the neonazis did get the majority at the last elections ! Only the division in two groups was the reason why they don t have the power yet. we all can be afraid of the next elections ...

[uhartchristian]

Before telling us that anne Fontaine is a stupid women do inform yourself please, she just said that he was nazidirector . Thats right. he was Musikdirector , a position the nazis did give him. He had an official part at the cultural decisions of the reich. So please drive in the wall but dont call an intelligen person a stupid woman.

[cenodus]

ABSOLUTE!

Unsurpassed rendition...

[1984robert]

This is one of the greatest recording of the twnetieth century.

[Sarvakarmafalatyaga]

Increíble, realmente con una fuerza que hubiese impresionado al mismo Beethoven!

Insuperable.

[lewars1912]

This is devastating. No other recording has surpassed it.

[petrof4056]

I searched everywhere a good recording of Corolian and yes, we can say nobody did better of this

[Thanovitch]

@petrof4056 You shoyld listen to Mitropoulos' recording of Coriolan. Different than Furtwanglers' but so passianate too and with much more energy. In my opinion, Mitropoulos' recording is better than Furtwanglers' .

[2ndviolinist]

@lewars1912 Many people who have commented have not heard Mengelberg's version put up by jacquesurlus. At least as good and those still worked up about supposed Nazi supporters can have another field day. Listen to the music, talk about long-dead yes or no Nazis elsewhere.

[lewars1912]

@2ndviolinist Yes, I've heard the Mengelberg version which is very good. You mentioned "those still worked up about supposed Nazi supporters." Where is this comment?

[2ndviolinist]

@lewars1912 There's much commentary (positive) about Furtwangler and his relation to Nazis in regard to this post. Mengelberg was vilified and removed from his post for being a Nazi sympathizer. I suspect he did what was necessary to keep making music. Mostly I just listen in awe.

[violinista22]

Hahahaha, de first trumpet rushes right before the 14th measure. Nobody is perfect! XD

[petrof4056]

yes a little but the entire recording is unique and by the way the best ever. I think if each records must be perfect, we would'nt have this KIND of perfection.

Thank you for your precise comment

[ipmoic]

It's true that many student orchestras perform this because it is technically not overly demanding. But that does not erase the exhilaration at hearing it played powerfully and in a musically profound way.

Interestingly, although a Furtwängler fanatic, I find this tempo to be a bit pedantic--yet perfect from 8:01 to the end. And where was the microphone? Sounds like it's inside the timpani!

[ilbacioditosca]

I just come back home from a bad performance of this piece. Thanks youtube and Furtwangler recordings!!!!

[millaneco]

Es un fantástico homenaje a Cayo Marcio Coriolano el personaje de Shakespeare...?

[dspiel]

I absolutely love the change he makes to the timpani -- right at 7 minutes, he inserts this incredible timpani roll (not in the original score) which is to die for.

[Sinfoniette]

Amazing rendition by Furtwangler of this overplayed overture.

[philippmarlowe]

Nach Stalingrad ist sein Beethoven eindeutig ne Spur besser.

[Dogaradodia]

Certified Intergalactic!

[billyguns2]

The greatest performance of this work that I have ever heard.

[escanotutti]

Excellent, extraordinary, how he is capble to perfectly render everything inside this ouverture, the strenght and power of some moments along with the sweetness of some other passages. Amazing!!

[younglemeshevist]

Fantastic