EMI digitally remastered and reissued much of Klemperer's Beethoven last year (other symphonies now on CD were reviewed in our October, November and December 1985 issues by TH and RO). Those of us who passed them by then, because we had some or all of the originals, were happliy left with our memories. After all we had long been assured that these were authentic Beethoven, were they not? It is a truism that the memory fades selectively, one readily remembers the high spots not the more questionable areas. So it is with these discs. It is not that the remastering is anything less than adequately accomplished, the faults—and they are not to be ignored—lie with the original material. The accuracy of CD makes them inescapable.
I think my biggest disappointment came in the Choral where the perspectives achieved in the vocal parts seem oddly mismatched and the quality of the sound emanating from the Philharmonia Chorus is decidedly rough. This recording took place in 1958 and is in no way comparable with what we now expect as a matter of course. What I had not reckoned on, such is one's ability to forget and forgive, was some quite off-colour performances and rather lumpsy singing in the long finale. The earlier movements are still memorable in spite of some rather scrawny string tone and a false warmth covering up for the fact that real weight in the bass is lacking.
The two symphonies on the first CD were recorded three years apart and it is interesting to observe how engineering techniques had progressed. No. 1 is marred by a more or less continuous low frequency noise and benefits from a reduction in the bass tone control if you have one. Stereo placement and depth on this disc however is superior to the Ninth; more noticeably so in the Seventh, Beethoven at his most tuneful with its delightful allegretto, and it is not my imagination which leads me into thinking that here also everyone was in better mood for the task. The strings in particular are better together although not showing the 'as one man' skills they can put on today.
My third disc, six overtures, takes us back in years from 1964, when the three Leonores were taped, through 1962 for Fidelio, 1960 for the Consecration and 1959 for Coriolan. The first three are quite splendid, although subject to patches of mysterious rumbling (perhaps due to poor storage of the tape originals). Take as an example 2'20'' into Leonore No. 2 where the disturbance slowly and cyclically builds up to stop abruptly 15 seconds later. Incidentally, whilst on technical matters the listener must be prepared for noticeable tape hiss on these recordings. However, all represent a tribute to the producer, Walter Legge and his engineer, Douglas Larter. As for Klemperer, well he was certainly more variable than I had thought, though I expect to be shot at, hopefully not fatally, for saying so.'