Eugen Jochum - Complete Recordings On Deutsche Grammophon, Vol. 2

Nothing to dislike - everything wonderful! Those who have learned to appreciate great music will adore this.

The second box-set of Jochum on DG contains several renderings unsurpassed in the entire recording history. The Bruckner masses of course, the Christmas Oratorio and the Weber opera. And several ranking among the very finest: The Carmina Burana, the Missa Solemnis, both the passions. The rest of the choral and vocal works hold Jochums standard, overall among the ten most visionary conducters recorded. One wishes the rare Parsifal, serene beyond imagination were a DG recording

Volume Two of Eugen Jochum on Deutsche Grammophon is not the “must buy” for me that Volume One was: Jochum - Complete Recordings on DG, Vol. 1 Orchestral Works [42 CD ] (see photo)Volume One had a healthy percentage of recordings new to CD.The new box, “Sacred & Choral Music on DG” has just one recording new to CD, and that is hardly an essential purchase:The 1952 mono DG recording of Wagner’s Lohengrin is the conductor’s only commercial recording of the opera, but the provincial Bavarian Opera cast (Fehenberger, Kupper, Braun, Frantz) is completely outclassed by the greater lung power of Eugen Jochum’s 1954 Bayreuth performance (Windgassen, Nilsson, Varnay, Uhde).Available on several independent labels.*(Nilsson’s only recording of Elsa)38 CDs in cardboard jackets in modified “original jacket” format(original artwork on the front, but no program notes on the back, just track listings).According to DG’s publicity department, only one recording, the 1952 Lohengrin, has been newly remastered for this box.The other recordings sound fine to me, but they always have.If you are new to Jochum, this box is a fantastic buy,But I already own all but one of these recordings, so I am not planning to order it anytime soon.I am, however, looking forward to a possible Volume Three “Complete Orchestral Recordings on Philips” (quite a few recordings not yet on CD).Eugen Jochum (born 1902) was the only conductor of the pre-War generation to record all four of Bach's large-scale works for chorus and orchestra in stereo.In the 1960s, these recordings were sniffed at as hopelessly old-fashioned by the cognoscenti.Karl Münchinger and Karl Richter were all the all the rage with their chamber orchestra Bach,though those two worthies would soon be made redundant by Nikolaus Harnoncourt and his historically informed followers, who completely dominate today's early music scene.Eugen Jochum was basically above all the musicological controversy, and carried on conducting Bach as he had learned it in the '20s and '30s.His St. Matthew Passion is not as extreme as Furtwängler or Mengelberg's recordings, but it is recognizably from the same tradition.There will never be another St. Matthew Passion like this.That alone is good reason to acquire this box.PART 1 OF 2: CHORAL MUSICMore than half the choral music in Volume Two was actually recorded by Philips.The same company now owns Philips and Deutsche Grammophon.(stereo unless otherwise indicated)-- BACH St.John Passion: 1967 Amsterdam Concertgebouw PHILIPS-- BACH St.Matthew Passion: 1965 Amsterdam Concertgebouw PHILIPS-- BACH Christmas Oratorio: 1972 Bavarian Radio Orch. PHILIPS-- BACH Mass in B minor: 1957 Bavarian Radio Orch. PHILIPS-- BEETHOVEN Missa Solemnis: 1970 Amsterdam Concertgebouw PHILIPS-- BRUCKNER Mass No. 1 in D Minor: 1972 Bavarian Radio Orch.-- BRUCKNER Mass No. 2 in E minor: 1971 Bavarian Radio Orch.-- BRUCKNER Mass No. 3 in F minor: 1962 Bavarian Radio Orch.-- BRUCKNER Psalm 150: 1965 Berlin Philharmonic-- BRUCKNER Te Deum: 1950 Bavarian Radio MONO + 1965 Berlin Philharmonic-- BRUCKNER Ten Unaccompanied Motets: 1966 Bavarian Radio Chorus(Ave Maria 1861 / Christus factus est / Ecce sacerdos magnus / Locus iste / Offertorium Afferentur regi / Os justi meditabitur sapientiam / Pange lingua / Tota pulchra es - antiphon / Vexilla regis / Virga Jesse floruit)-- HAYDN The Creation: 1966 Bavarian Radio Orch. PHILIPS-- HAYDN Mass HobXXII,No.5 Cäcilienmesse: 1959 Bavarian Radio Orch.-- MOZART Requiem: 1955 Vienna Symphony MONO(recorded “live” at St. Stephen’s Cathedral in honor of the Bicentennial of Mozart’s birth. Portions of the liturgy are included - this explains the nine extra tracks)-- ORFF Trionfi (trilogy of cantatas)----- No.1 Carmina Burana: 1952 Bavarian Radio Orch. MONO + 1967 Berlin Opera----- No.2 Catulli Carmina: 1955 Bavarian Radio Orch. MONO + 1970 Berlin Opera----- No.3 Trionfo di Afrodite: 1955 Bavarian Radio Orch. MONO------------------------------------------PART 2 OF 2: OPERAS(stereo unless otherwise indicated)MOZART Così fan tutte: 1962 Berlin Philharmonic---- Fiordiligi: Irmgard Seefried---- Dorabella: Nan Merriman---- Ferrando: Ernst Haefliger---- Guglielmo: Hermann Prey---- Despina: Erika Köth---- Alfonso: Dietrich Fischer-DieskauMOZART Die Entführung aus dem Serail: 1965 Bavarian State Opera---- Konstanze: Erika Köth---- Blonde: Lotte Schadle---- Belmonte: Fritz Wunderlich---- Pedrillo: Friedrich Lenz---- Osmin: Kurt BöhmeWAGNER Lohengrin: 1952 Bavarian Radio Orch. MONO---- Lohengrin: Lorenz Fehenberger (actually an underrated tenor, ignored by the record companies)---- Elsa: Annelies Kupper---- Ortrud: Helena Braun---- Telramund: Ferdinand Frantz---- King Heinrich: Otto von Rohr---- Herald: Hans BraunWAGNER Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg: 1976 Berlin State Opera---- Hans Sachs: Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau---- Walther: Placido Domingo---- Eva: Catarina Ligendza---- Magdalena: Christa Ludwig---- David: Horst Laubenthal---- Pogner: Peter Lagger---- Beckmesser: Roland HermannWEBER Der Freischütz: 1959 Bavarian State Opera---- Max: Richard Holm---- Agathe: Irmgard Seefried---- Ännchen: Rita Streich---- Caspar: Kurt Böhme-----------------------------------------------* Cast of the 1954 Bayreuth Lohengrin (not in this box):---- Lohengrin: Wolfgang Windgassen---- Elsa: Birgit Nilsson---- Ortrud: Astrid Varnay---- Telramund: Hermann Uhde---- King Heinrich: Theo Adam---- Herald: Dietrich Fischer-Dieskauavailable on Opera d'Oro:  Lohengrin In addition to the choral repertoire recorded by DG and Philips, Eugen Jochum also recorded the following for EMI (Warner):-- BACH Mass in B Minor (second recording): 1980 Bavarian Radio Orch.-- MOZART Mass K317 + Vesperae solennis K339: 1976 Bavarian Radio Orch. Eugen Jochum: Icon- The Complete EMI Recordings Two major choral works Jochum conducted, but did not record commercially:-- BRAHMS German Requiem: 1951 Bavarian Radio MONO  Eugen Jochum Centenary': Brahms German Requiem (W.Clara Ebers Karl Scmitt-Walter And Chor -- VERDI Requiem: 1950 Bavarian Radio MONO:  Requiem/Te Deum (Jochum, Bavarian Radio) By G. Verdi (2005-01-16)  - or -  Messa Da Requiem

Muy contento de tener esta caja, a pesar de estar extinto el Vol.1 vale la pena tener el Vol.2.Quise adquirir esta caja principalmente por sus majestuosas interpretaciones de J.S.Bach y la rara grabación del Requiem de Mozart donde en dos CD's se incluye la misa completa de conmemoración de la muerte de Mozart.Sin lugar a dudas una caja con exquisitas grabaciones.

The first box set in the Jochum/DG series was focused on orchestral works, and, as I mentioned in my review of that box, it was a well-presented collection of music. This second box is focused on choral works and opera, and adds up to 38 CDs.From the choral side, there's the expected major works. There's Bach's Mass and Passions, as well as the Christmas Oratorio. There's the Masses and Requiems from Mozart, Haydn, Bruckner, and Beethoven. There's the Orff Trionfi (including two different recordings of both Carmina Burana and Catulli Carmina, plus an interview with Carl Orff himself about the recording of Carmina Burana!). On the Opera side, there's two Mozart works (Cosi fan tutte and Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail), Weber (Freischutz), and Wagner (Mesitersinger and Lohengrin).The recording quality is good throughout, with earlier discs a little more audibly weaker than the later recordings. I can't hear any sign of remastering, alas, when comparing these CDs to the original or reissue LPs of the same works. Having said that, DG has always had excellent engineering, and while these recordings don't sound as dynamic as some of today's recordings, they are still surprisingly good.The interpretations of the works in this box are not radical: no one will listen to these performances and be surprised at the pacing, dynamics, or presentation. But, that's not a bad thing. Jochum was never a "flashy" conductor and interpreter; instead he was consistently steady, with many of these works acting as references by which other recordings are judged. Several received wide praise from reviewers, including the Penguin Guide, when they were available originally. As a young collector of LPs and repertoire, I was always impressed by how many recordings by Jochum featured in the "must have" list.In some ways, this box is a trip down memory lane, as I have not listened to some of these works in over 40 years. And yet, they sound solid, well thought out, and full of excitement for the work. They clearly show how Jochum became a bit of a legend at the time. This is a worthy box to add to your collection, and Jochum never disappoints.

Rien contre la qualité artistique du grand chef que fut Eugène Jochum.... mais la qualité fait exécrablement « cheap » : le booklet de 80 pages - il contient tout juste deux textes bidons traduits en 4 langues et la liste des plages- est imprimé sur papier bon marché et en biais ! On est pas habitué à ça à la Deutsche Grammophon ! Rien à voir avec l’excellent e box Decca/Phillips et son superbe texte d’accompagnement. C’est pas pour rien que tout ce qui reste à DG sont les trésors et souvenirs du passé...

Todas las obras incluidas son maravillosas, pero la versión de Lohengrin de Wagner es antológica.Enrique el Pajarero:Otto von Rohr.Lohengrin:Lorenz Fèhenberger.Elsa:Annelies Kupper.Friedrich von Telramund:Ferdinand Frantz.Ortrud:Helena Braun.Heraldo:Hans Braun.Chor und Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks.Eugen Jochum.DGG 1953. Cito textualmente la opinión de mi amigo Joaquín Arnau Amo: "Escuche este Lohengrin hace la friolera de 68 años,5 microsurcos de 33 rpm.Se los habia traido de Alemania y regalado a una anciana amiga de mi familia su yerno alemán.Para mi padre era la mejor ópera de Wagner y su favorita entre cuantas óperas él había llegado a conocer.Él la había oído en el Teatro Real de Madrid,cantada en italiano y con Ricardo Vìñas como protagonista.Con estos antecedentes,yo dediqué no sé cuántas tardes de domingo a la escucha de ésta grabación.Y desde un principio quedé fascinado.De entrada esa iba a ser para mí la ópera predilecta.Desde entonces he conocido otras muchas versiones.Algunas forman parte de mi colección de vinilos,CDs y DVDs.Y ninguna me ha parecido a su altura,por lo que en las últimas décadas he tratado por distintos medios de hacèrme con esa versión.Y he sabido que el mercado cuenta con otras dirigidas por el mismo Eugen Jochum, pero con otros intérpretes y en otras situaciones,algunas en vivo,Bayreuth incluido.Pero mi empeño estaba en dar con el original de esta versión antigua.Finalmente, mi buen amigo Francisco García Blanquer,melómano como yo,se ha hecho con ella,remasterizada,y me la ha regalado.Al tiempo que deseaba este reencuentro,yo temía haber idealizado aquella versión,como sería propio de una emoción primeriza y adolescente.Y lo que he oído va más allá de lo que podía imaginar.No solo responde plenamente a mis expectativas,sino las supera por ese milagro que es la supuesta restauración técnica que convierte a un vinilo monoaural en un CD digital de las más alta calidad.Citaré solo un ejemplo:nunca había oído sonar en grabación a los violonchelos y contrabajos como suenan en el Preludio al Acto Segundo.Es la suya más que alta fidelidad.Si cierra unos los ojos,se siente uno transportado a la escucha en vivo.En Cuanto a la versión,no solo me reafirmo en lo que recordaba,sino lo hallo a mayor altura.Director e intérpretes están inmejorable en sus respectivos papeles:pero además les asiste ese estado de gracia que hace que lo mismo,hecho por el mismo,alcance el estado de acontecimiento único.Jochum congenia con la obra,para algunos la más italiana de su autor,como pocos lo han hecho.Le da el aire de leyenda,que la distingue del mito,al que Wagner se entregaría en cuerpo y alma a partir de ese momento.Y pone en el Coro todo el protagonismo que la acción reclama.En su fervoroso entusiasmo está una de las claves del argumento.Fèhenberger compagina en plenitud de facultades lo heroico con lo íntimo de su difícil papel.Kupper transita de la ingenua esperanza a la fatal desesperación con registros de amplio espectro.Frantz es un Federico bravo y frágil a un tiempo,arrogante e ingenuo.Y la Braun saca todo el partido a sus perversas artes de bruja.En cuanto a von Rohr,majestad y humanidad se concilian como procede.Y Hans Braun es un portavoz,oportuno en todo momento.Un detalle finalmente que me cautivó desde un principio:es la levedad con la que Jochum resuelve el Coro Nupcial del Acto III,manoseado,en un gesto no por convencional menos afectuoso.En resumen:una maravill.(Apta para gustar incluso a quienes no les gusta Wagner)."

Ich bin sehr zufrieden mit der Lieferung und der Qualität der Lieferung.