Donald Satz wrote:

>>Telarc released a few weeks ago Beethoven's 5th and 7th symphonies
>>performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra directed by Benjamin Zander.
>>So far, reviews I have read are widely divergent concerning the
>>interpretations.  Have any of you heard this new recording? The 5th
>>and 7th are two of my favorites - a great coupling.

Roger Hecht responded:

>I can tell you only that Zander's schtick is sticking to Beethoven
>metronome markings.

"Schtick" seems to be a rather unsavory word here.  Zander's performances
are revelatory.  It's great to hear a modern orchestra perform these works
with the crispness and vitality of a period ensemble.  As for Zander's
interpretation, it's not mere schtick.  Like his Mahler 9th, this disc
comes with a 70 minute apologia in which Zander confronts the romantic
interpretations of Furtwangler, Stokowski, etc.  with what he believes
Beethoven actually meant.  (The disc includes a clip of an early recording
of the 5th by Furtwangler which is so lethargic that it borders on the
ridiculous.) Znader's tempi are not simply "faster" on the whole.  For
example, he holds back the tempo of the finale of the 7th where most
conductors have a "let 'er rip" attitude.  These performances are simply
wonderful even if one does not care for the academic wrangling over
Beethoven's tempi.

Michael Butera