Mitch Friedfeld asked:

>I recently attended a concert that began with Beethoven's Consecration
>of the House Overture.  And just today in the car, I heard the Egmont.
>Very nice music, and I'd like to learn more.  Is there such thing as a
>disc(s) that contains all the Beethoven overtures?  Recommendations
>please.

I have an Abbado potpourri somewhere and kept it because I once  liked
to play it.  But what I really wanted to say is that yesterday I attended
a rehearsal, and as part of that James Levine and and the Munich Philharmonic
did the Leonore 3.  It was a magnificent performance that undescored
Levine's strength, namely that of an opera conductor.  I was so taken by
it all that during the crescendo of the finale I actually felt as if the
curtain was going to go up.  (Of course, in the Philharmonie, there isn't
any curtain.) The rest of the rehearsal further demonstrated Levine's
strength as a pit conductor.  He made sure the orchestra properly accompanied
Christian Tetzlaff as he played a very fine Beethoven Concerto for violin,
op.  61 and then Schoenberg's Concerto for Violin op.36.  Also played was
Schoenberg's Accompanying Music to a Film, op.34.  In the two Schoenbergs
Levine beat time but contributed little more.  He just didn't seem interested.
Tetzlaff lent the concerto some articulation but otherwise orchestra was
left to play pretty much as it pleased.  As on other occasions, Levine
hasn't come across as remarkable symphonic conductor.

Denis Fodor