Don Satz wrote:

>I noticed that the complete set of Beethoven's symphonies from Daniel
>Barenboim on Teldec will be released in the U.S.  on 25 April...  Have
>any of our overseas list members heard any of the new set? Is it worth
>the price tag?

I heard two performances over the radio in 1999.  The BPO and Barenboim
are almost bound to be solid, and the stuff I heard was eminently so.
Barenboim has become this day's great traditionalist, at least to me, when
it comes to Beethoven and Bruckner.  Whether Teldec's price is right, well,
that has to remain moot.  I myself have five other Beethoven symphony sets,
plus singles, so I won't be investing.  The last set I bought was Zinman's
(with the Tonhalle orchestra) -- and then only because parts of it
impressed me with their extraordinarily imaginative readings.  Even so,
the set as a whole was outstanding for its precision and drive.

Denis Fodor                     Internet:[log in to unmask]