The 1953 Beethoven Fifth was Karl Böhm’s first recording for Deutsche Grammophon, and already his trademark rock-solid tempos and rhythmic exactitude are fully on display. The outer movements excite not so much by means of driving speed as through Böhm’s intensity of utterence carried out through the Berlin Philharmonic’s strong and sure-footed playing. The orchestra’s rich sonority extends to the Andante and scherzo, where the wide range from loud to soft makes a tremendous impact, even in mono sound.
Symphony No. 7, recorded five years later in warmly spacious stereo, retains many of the same performance characteristics. It’s interesting to compare this to Karajan’s 1962 recording with the same orchestra (newly released on SACD). Where Karajan’s strings dominated all else, Böhm’s immaculate ensemble balance allows all sections to be heard clearly, generating greater aural energy even though he employs slower tempos. That said, Böhm’s unyielding pace forgoes the sense of drama cultivated by Harnoncourt or Bernstein, yet his rendition is nonetheless a powerful example of a great Beethoven performing tradition. Böhm later would make even finer recordings with the Vienna Philharmonic, but the present release remains a choice offering for Böhm fans.
