Eduard Van Beinum: Complete Recordings on Decca & Philips

The eminent Dutch conductor Eduard van Beinum described his relationship with orchestral musicians as ‘first among equals’. He said of his work ‘One must certainly not by tyrannical. A conductor must immerse himself in the possibilities of each and every orchestra member and bring everything out of them.’ It was a huge shock, when during a rehearsal of Brahms’ First Symphony on 13 April 1959, van Beinum suffered a fatal heart attack on the podium in the Concertgebouw at the age of just 58. His qualities as a musician had perhaps not been fully appreciated during his lifetime, but after his death, his recordings allow us to re-evaluate his impeccable musical intuition, his good taste and the spontaneity of his music-making. Collected here in one edition that predominately features the two orchestras he was Principal Conductor of — the Concertgebouworkest & London Philharmonic Orchestra — are the complete recordings he made for both Decca and Philips.

Highlights include:
- A sparkling interpretation of Beethoven’s ballet music to The Creature of Prometheus with the LPO
- Brahms’ Symphony cycle recorded with the Concertgebouworkest – a radically modern approach for the time they were made
- Lauded recordings of Ravel’s Rapsodie espagnole (1946) ‘Without question, this is the best recording we have had of this pungently evocative work.’ — Gramophone; Boléro and La Valse and Debussy’s La Mer, Stravinsky’s Le Sacre du Printemps (1946) ‘A truly brilliant recording, bringing out more of the score than I should have thought possible’ — Gramophone
- Berlioz’ Symphonie fantastique (one of his most celebrated recordings full of incisive precision and spontaneous explosive abandon)
- Reference recordings of Bruckner’s 7, 8 & 9th Symphonies – “Bruckner is my bread and butter” said Van Beinum
- Diapason d’Or award-winning recordings of Mendelssohn’s Symphony No.4 & A Midsummer Night’s Dream (CO) & Hebrides Overture (LPO)
- A series of 78rpm recordings made for ‘Dutch Decca’, Telefunken & Deutsche Grammophon, including many works van Beinum never recorded commercially, such as Richard Strauss’s Don Juan and Smetana’s Vltava – all released for the first time in nearly 70 years, in new hi-res transfers made especially for this collection
- Bonus Audio documentary feature produced by Jon Tolansky, with commentary by a number of musicians who worked with Eduard van Beinum
- 102pp book (English/Dutch/French/German) with essays by music historian Niek Nelissen and Jon Tolansky

TRACKS:
CD 1
1    J.S. Bach: Orchestral Suites Nos.1–4 Concertgebouworkest     
CD 2
1    Clark: Trumpet Voluntary ∙ Handel: Music for the Royal Fireworks Suite; Water Music Suite London Philharmonic Orchestra     
2    J.C. Bach: Symphonies Nos.2 & 4, Op.18 CO     
CD 3
1    Handel: Water Music CO     
CD 4
1    Mozart: Concerto for Flute & Harp Hubert Barwahser, Phia Berghout; Symphonies Nos.29 & 33 CO     
CD 5
1    Mozart: Symphony No.35 ‘Haffner’; Piano Concerto No.24 Kathleen Long, LPO     
2    Mozart: Clarinet Concerto Bram de Wilde, CO     
CD 6
1    Mozart: Serenade in D, K.320 ‘Posthorn’     
2    Reger: Variations & Fugue on a theme by Mozart CO     
CD 7
1    Haydn: Symphonies Nos.94, 96 (1952 rec.) & 97 CO     
CD 8
1    Haydn: Symphony No.96 (1947 rec.) CO     
2    Haydn: Symphony No.100 ∙ Beethoven: The Creatures of Prometheus LPO     
CD 9
1    Beethoven: Overtures LPO     
CD 10
1    Beethoven: Violin Concerto, Op.61 Arthur Grumiaux; Symphony No.2 CO     
CD 11
1    Schubert: Symphonies Nos.4 & 5; Rosamunde CO     
CD 12
1    Schubert Symphonies Nos.3, 6 & 8 ‘Unfinished’ CO     
CD 13
1    Mendelssohn: The Hebrides Overture; Violin Concerto Alfredo Campoli, LPO     
2    Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream (1946 rec.)     
3    Beethoven: Leonore Overture No.2 ∙ Rossini: Overture to La scala di seta CO     
CD 14
1    Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream (1952 rec.); Symphony No.4 ∙ Rossini: Overtures CO     
CD 15
1    Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique (1946 rec.);     
2    La Damnation de Faust (excerpts: 1946 rec.);     
3    Marche troyenne; Le Carnaval Romain Ouverture (1956 rec.) CO     
CD 16
1    Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique (1951 rec.);     
2    Le Carnaval Romain Ouverture (1951 rec.);     
3    La Damnation de Faust (excerpts: 1947 rec.)     
4    Brahms: St Anthony Variations (1952 rec.) CO     
CD 17
1    Brahms: Symphony No.1 (1947 rec.); St Anthony Variations (1949 rec.) CO     
CD 18
1    Brahms: Symphony No.1 (1951 rec.) CO     
2    Brahms: Symphony No.3 (1946 rec.) LPO     
CD 19
1    Brahms: Symphonies Nos.2 & 4 CO     
CD 20
1    Brahms: Symphonies Nos.1 (1958 rec.) & 3 (1958 rec.) CO     
CD 21
1    Brahms: Piano Concerto No.1 Clifford Curzon; Tragic Overture (1952 rec.);     
2    Academic Festival Overture (1952 rec.); Alto Rhapsody CO     
CD 22
1    Brahms: Violin Concerto Arthur Grumiaux; St Anthony Variations (1958 rec.);     
2    Tragic Overture (1958 rec.);     
3    Academic Festival Overture (1958 rec.) CO     
CD 23
1    Bruckner: Symphony No.5 in B flat CO     
CD 24
1    Bruckner: Symphony No.7 in E (1947 rec.) CO     
CD 25
1    Bruckner: Symphony No.7 in E (1953 rec.) CO     
CD 26
1    Bruckner: Symphony No.8 in C minor CO     
CD 27
1    Bruckner: Symphony No.9 in D minor CO     
CD 28
1    Mahler: Symphony No.4 in G CO     
2    Mahler: Lieder eines fahrenden Gessellen (1946 rec.) LPO     
CD 29
1    Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde; Lieder Eines fahrenden Gesellen (1956 rec.) CO     
CD 30
1    Lalo: Symphonie espagnole Alfredo Campoli, LPO     
2    Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings; Andante cantabile for cello & strings; Nutcracker Suite CO     
3    Tchaikovsky: Romeo & Juliet Overture–Fantasia     
CD 31
1    Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade CO     
2    Borodin: Polovtsian Dances ∙ Bizet: L’Arlésienne Suites (excerpts: 1950 rec.) LPO     
3    Debussy: Danses pour harpe et orchestre Chamber Music Society of Amsterdam     
CD 32
1    Stravinsky: Le Sacre du Printemps; Le Chant du Rossignol ∙ Kodaly: Háry János Suite CO     
CD 33
1    Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra; Music for Strings, Percussion & Celeste Stravinsky: The Firebird Suite CO     
CD 34
1    Sibelius: Violin Concerto Jan Damen; Tone Poems LPO     
CD 35
1    Franck: Psyché; Variations symphoniques Géza Anda     
2    Ravel: Rapsodie espagnole; Boléro; La Valse CO     
CD 36
1    Debussy: Nocturnes; La Mer; Images (Set 3) CO     
CD 37
1    Elgar: Cockaigne Overture; Cello Concerto Anthony Pini; Elegy for Strings; The Wand of Youth Suites 1 & 2 LPO     
CD 38
1    Britten: Spring Symphony ∙ Pijper: Symphony No.3 CO     
2    Britten Four Sea Interludes & Passacaglia from Peter Grimes (1947 rec.).     
3    Arnold: Beckus the Dandipratt LPO     
CD 39
1    Britten: Four Sea Interludes & Passacaglia from Peter Grimes (1953 rec.); The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra     
2    Debussy: Berceuse héroïque; Marche écossaise ∙ Thomas: Overture to Mignon ∙ Grieg: Two Elegiac Melodies     
3    Nicolai: Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor Overture ∙ Sousa: The Stars & Stripes Forever CO     
CD 40
1    Pijper: Six Epigrams; Concerto for Piano & Orchestra Hans Henkemans ∙ Henkemans: Violin Concerto Theo Olof     
2    Diepenbrock: Marsyas, of De betooverde bron RC 101 Incidental music excerpts CO     
CD 41
1    ‘Eduard van Beinum – 78 Rarities I’     
2    Brahms: St Anthony Variations ∙ Bizet: L’Arlésienne ∙ Reger: Valse d’amour (Ballet Suite Op.130) ∙ Smetana: Vltava (Má vlast) CO     
CD 42
1    ‘Eduard van Beinum – 78 Rarities II’     
2    Berlioz: Benvenuto Cellini Overture ∙ Wagner: Prelude to Lohengrin Act III ∙ Beethoven: Egmont Overture     
3    J.S. Bach: Suite No.2 in B minor BWV 1067 (excerpts); Suite No.3 in D BWV 1068     
4    R. Strauss: Don Juan ∙ Sibelius: Finlandia CO     
CD 43
1    ‘Eduard van Beinum – Memories’     
2    Audio documentary feature produced by Jon Tolansky, with commentary by a number of musicians who worked with Eduard van Beinum