It is indeed a daunting task to undertake one of the most historic and
important live recordings of the 20th century; the 1951 Bayreuth
Festival recording of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 “The Choral”,
conducted by Wilhelm Furtwängler. It is made even more poignant by the
fact that it was the first performance for the reopening of Bayreuth
after the Second World War. Furtwängler only agreed to conduct the
Ninth Symphony on very special occasions and never made a studio
recording – this is by far the most significant performance of
Beethoven’s masterpiece.
Originally completed in 1824 and premiered in Vienna the same year,
the Ninth Symphony is considered as one of Beethoven’s greatest works.
Furthermore it is recognised as one of the greatest compositions in
western musical history.
The 1951 Bayreuth performance is not without flaw (the first horn
being out of tune), but despite this it is a performance of
incomparable depth, energy and breadth. A melting pot of tradition and
ideals guided by Furtwängler’s vision and deep spiritual connection to
the work and composer – it is a truly unique journey.
The original tapes for this remarkable live performance included
audience atmosphere capturing the ambiance of sheer anticipation before
Furtwängler walks onstage to begin the first movement. We have
included this on the ERC edition so you can feel this experience for
yourselves – something that was edited out of the original HMV
edition.
Great care and attention is being given to the reproduction of the
beautiful original jackets with the famous painting “THE ANCIENT OF
DAYS STRIKING THE FIRST CIRCLE OF THE EARTH” by William Blake.
Separate plates are carefully cast in metal to recreate the jacket in all its
original glory.
Front sleeve colour block metal plate.
Front sleeve text metal plates.
Front sleeve colour block metal plate on press.
Final front sleeve proof.
Letter pressed copy proof (rear of sleeve).
