Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67
Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 55 'Eroica'
Coriolan, Overture in C minor, Op. 62
Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92
String Quartet in F minor, Op. 95
Leonore Overture No. 2, Op. 72
Leonore Overture No. 3, Op. 72b
Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 'Choral'

In addition to the intellectual interest of these re-orchestrations, or retuschen ('retouchings') as Mahler referred to them, listening to this well played and recorded set has been a somewhat guilty pleasure. Guilty in the sense that why would the works of possibly the greatest composer of western music need any changes at all? It seems almost heresy. But also, in the thrill I experienced in hearing the big boned sound of these otherwise lithe interpretations. In the end, I may prefer my Beethoven smaller scale, the dynamics more in keeping with the time of the composition. However, I cannot deny that I did enjoy hearing them in these versions, undeniably exciting at times, and supremely interesting in a 'spot the instruments' sort of way at other times.

There have been a few other releases of one or more of these works in these versions, and a fair degree of academic analysis of the changes and their impact. For those interested one leading authority on this is David Pickett who wrote a doctoral thesis on it and has a current website that focuses on many aspects of Mahler the composer. If you have a chance to read David Pickett's doctoral thesis (from 1988), it provides a wealth of detail and background to this subject, across several composers such as Schumann in addition to Beethoven. It also provides some fascinating background commentary from esteemed near contemporaries of Mahler, such as Klemperer, Bruno Walter and others. The release I reviewed did not have an accompanying booklet, there might be one with the final release, but in any case, there are several other sources for background if needed.

This release is valuable in the scope of retouched scores included, and in addition the full orchestra version of the F minor string quartet. Given the current prevailing style for everything 'original' (a preference I share) the retouched scores are somewhat controversial, as are Mahler's retouching of the Schumann symphonies, but given the status of Mahler as a composer and conductor, and his reverence for Beethoven, they deserve at least a hearing.

Nowadays, with the tremendous advances in recording technology, it is no longer necessary to bolster the number of woodwind and brass against the strings in the way Mahler thought required for the turn of the century concert hall performances. However, modern recording techniques also offer an almost x-ray like visibility to the scores, and this itself provides a substantial additional interest for such a release as this.

I enjoyed all these performances a lot, particularly the earlier works. The greatest music, like all these works, can survive a great variety of performance styles, and I have enjoyed many all the way from the monumental Klemperer style to several 'original instruments' chamber style ensembles with incisive biting strings and agile, quick tempos. I have also enjoyed the various piano arrangements by Liszt, Scharwenka and others, though I do prefer the original orchestral versions overall. I find these current performances have some of the best elements of both extremes, the more heavyweight orchestral colors and yet generally nimble speeds (try the first movement of the 5th for example). I do not really hold with Stokowski-like orchestra tampering with the greats, as mentioned earlier I am generally a purist 'the composer is always right' sort of listener, but do count Mahler as one of the greats, so I give him at least a temporary pass!

The string quartet is a full-blown arrangement of course, no minor re-touching here. Mahler composed the arrangement early in his composing career, and it received a poor reception at its first performance, such that he never conducted it again. Dennis Mathews recovered it from the Vienna Philharmonic archives and prepared a performing version in 1986. Its neglect is regrettable, it seems to lend itself to a larger orchestra version, reminding me of Dvorak's String Serenade for some reason, more because of more visible sentiment although clearly a different style.

The string quartet arrangement aside, I started on the 'retuschen' with the Eroica, and proceeded in compositional order through the Coriolan Overture, then to the 5th, more overtures, the 7th and then the mighty 9th. I enjoyed every moment, standouts for me included the funeral march movement of the 3rd, the opening movement of the 5th, the final movement of the 7th, and the slow movement of the 9th.

Wagner's oft-quoted but often out of context description of the 7th symphony as the 'apotheosis of the dance' was brought to my mind while listening to this performance - at least in the form of sound seeming to embody physical movement - and that's a good mark of this performance of that great work, full of energy. The wonderful braying of the horns at the end of the first movement caps a fine start to the symphony, and the timpani in the final movement add a lot of excitement to the conclusion.

Finally, the great 9th symphony - a work quoted and referenced since its creation in so many varied circumstances and yet embodying many of the great Enlightenment ideas at the basis of much of Western European civilization. It is easy to be cynical nowadays of course about such ideas given all that's happened in the same society since the work's creation. However, I reveled in the anguish of the first movement, the serenity of the slow movement and the aspiration of the final one. Some of the vocal soloist contributions in the final movement sounded uncomfortable to me, but the chorus was reliable, and on the smaller side which I liked. Overall, it topped off the experience of being reminded why this composer is described by many as the greatest.

The recording throughout is never less than good, and primarily is well balanced and clear. The drums stand out of the orchestral texture very clearly (maybe too clearly at times), as do the often-doubled woodwinds and the brass of course. I marveled at the deep growls of bassoons, little moments of brass, where I had not heard them before. The voice and chorus in the final symphony are well captured, not drowning out or being drowned out by the orchestra. It is often undeniably exciting, and always sheerly interesting listening.

I have no hesitation in recommending these performances be listened to for their pure enjoyment of great music. There are countless, probably hundreds, of available performances of Beethoven symphonies, and many of them excellent and worthy of high recommendations. This one has a unique value in the combination of the range of the couplings, the rarely available arrangements, and the attractive performances and recording. It’s an enterprising release and deserves to be heard and welcomed into its place in the panoply of worthwhile ways to hear these great works.