Electrifying! I am 77 but this was like hearing Beethoven's 5th for the first time. Fresh, clear, powerful and totally alive. Never heard W. Furtwangler before. This goes beyond the bravado of Bernstein and precession of Von Karajan. I feel like I've just met the soul of Ludwig for the first time. Bravo master Furtwangler! Bravo... where ever you are.

...an overwhelmingly powerful performance. It is impossible to explain why Furtwangler's Beethoven is so uniquely, so utterly persuasive.

Forse sono un nostalgico ma queste vecchie interpretazioni ( Celibidache, Solti, Walterecc.) mi emozionano.le recenti mi dicono poco. Mi scusino i bravissimi giovani direttori.

If you close your eyes during the lead up to the 4th movement, then open them after the first 30 seconds, the feeling afterwards is surreal. It's like you were on a different planet filled with pure emotion.

Beethoven's music is primal. It reaches deeper into our minds than any other composer's music. No other composer has that impact on me. And Furtwangler interpreted Beethoven the best. They both climbed highest and saw furthest.

This is the best, and after 70 years I do not say that lightly ...

Never heard anything better.

Ok, I was a von Karajan fan until I heard the warmth, power, the beauty of this- so alive. Grateful to have found it on here and thanks all for the wonderful commentary.

Everything in this performance is close to perfection---tempo, expression, sound volume crescendo and decrescendo. After enduring war, chaos and starvation, these people came back to play like this.

the genius of Furtwangler,directly from the hands of GOD. giving us this beautiful interpretation of the fifth.

Furtwangler and Beethoven: I never heard a messenger so consistent with a message !!

Furtangler, like no other, gets into the heart and mind of the composer. This symphony is about grandeur and majesty, therefore never hurried nor its full voice muted under the baton of this master interpreter.

This is Beethoven in all his elemental power and glory.

Unequalled. Superbely flexible, well balanced, creative, daring, dynamic, poetic, declaratory...

El mejor Director de todos los tiempos, el inolvidable Wilhelm Furtwängler

正確であり、緻密、ダイナミクス、一貫性のどれをとってみても完璧。ベートーベンが目指した天文学への橋渡しとしての音楽の最終形といえる歴史上最強の音楽家。涙が止まらぬ。

The music pulses and blazes

Pretty damn exciting! To comment on but one of WF's tactics here: The fact that the last part of the finale's stretto is actually performed rallentando, coupled with the brief pause just before the final chord, makes the coda thrilling.

No tengo palabras para expresar mi emoción cuando escucho esta sinfonía dirigida por el extraordinario director Wilhelm Furtwängler. Y en particular esta grabación de 1954 . Todos los detalles de la dinámica son perfectos! La orquesta responde maravillosamente cada gesto del director, ambos son un sólo ente... ! ¡Gracias por publicar esta maravilla!

best interpretation ever i think

Furtwängler was the best conductor!

The Best compositeur et chef d'orchestre ... résultat sublime!

Just discovered Furtwangler conducting Beethoven's 9th. I always loved (still do) Von Karajan. However!! The transition from the third to fourth movement is The Most wonderful and intense!! Perfect!!!

Yes. That's definitively mind blowing. Great!

Amazing Furtwängler LG from Austria 💘♪🤓❤🎼😚😊

simply perfect

Wow. Criminal to interrupt this with actual COMMERCIALS. Whoever thought it was a good idea to interrupt Beethoven's 5th with commercials should be jailed.

La quinata sinfonia di Beethoven e' stata, nella mia giovinezza, la mia devozione per la musica sinfonica .

Extraordinaire....

名演！ ほんと素晴らしい！

It is the man who can represents Beethoven himself.

if he had've lived into his 80's, it would've been a very different world of classical music. so close to stereo too.

A 85 ans, j'ai entendu de nombreuses interprétations de cette célèbre 5ème de Beethoven et je dois avouer que peu m'ont laissé aussi enchanté que celle que je viens d'entendre. S'il est indéniable que Furtwängler soit un grand chef, la gloire en l'occurrence ne revient assurément pas qu'à lui seul, la prestation de l'orchestre étant exceptionnelle et la prise de son, voire la remasterisation qui relèvent de véritables prouesses techniques pour arriver à un tel résultat n'y étant pas pour rien ! La fusion de tous ces éléments aboutit à un résultat rare mais j'estime que comparer ici le chef avec von Karajan par exemple n'est pas du tout convaincant, tant il a existé antérieurement et existent présentement d'autres grands chefs, les premiers n'ayant pas joui hélas pour flatter l'oreille des mélomanes quelque peu avertis, des moyens techniques dont on dispose aujourd'hui. Je suis en effet littéralement époustouflé quand j'écoute des CD qui reproduisent des enregistrements réalisés au départ de rouleaux Edison !!!

One of the greatest B5 performances ever recorded. Superb.

grazie infinite!!!!!!

A real eye-opener.

Rodrigo-san,I agree with yo 100% completely. Also, your straight talk have us be comfortable..... thx !

This is the best version of the Symphony Ive ever found. The Orchestra is like an intrument and all the elements (colors, movement and direction, pauses and breathings, etc...) are under a total control feeling. Nothing is a casuality. Furtwängler didnt forget the passion, the feeling and the personality of Beethoven. This is simply wonderful. :)

Beethoven est ici , en personne, bien présent ; ô perfection...

The point is that Furtwangler was not a nazi, anymore than Lenny was responsible for Viet Nam or Slatkin for Dick Cheney. What should a famous artist do when evil tyranny suddenly takes over the country? What's the correct answer to that one?

a really great 5th of beethoven. Furtwängler was at beethoven, brahms, wagner (isolde with flagstadt) unbelievable.

Bravo, dynamic Furtwangler

...prava Peta...to je to!

delivering the mad Ludwig in all his revolutionary fury

Listen from 6:50 to the end of the first movement. LIFE and DEATH!!! Furt. said "the most important thing a musician must avoid is routine>. He performed this work over 200 times in his career, and he came to it each time in a humble spirit, as though for the first time. No matter how often he performed a score, he re-studied, and re-thought it. He's my hero, as both artist and man. (San Shirakawa's bio, The Devil's Musicmaster, is absolutely essential reading.)

the greatest conductors of the 20th century, Furtwangler and Carlos Kleiber .

Great! Furtwangler

BRAVO! BRAVO!

благодарю!великий и гениальный!

Impressionante! Bellissimo! C'ertamente il testamento artistico del più grande interprete beethoveniano.

Great. Furtwangler has been called the master of transitions. He is said to have worked and worked on them in rehearsal. I think because he realized how important they are to the music. His "heavy" chords are another thing. He supposedly didn't want razor sharp precision because a slightly staggered entry by different instruments gave the chords that body and weight which you can hear in this performance. The Only Furtwangler performances available used to be the Studio version with VPO ,1952 I think and the May 27th 1947 BPO version. The variety on UTUBE is a joy for me after being so limited for so long.

The permanent preservation version!

ECCELLENTE!

Delightful!

Best ever.

Ahhhhhhhhh. Exquisite.

Furtwangler's interpretation is very individual but it seems to me that he emphasizes the parts of Beethoven's symphony that a lot of us non-genius people in the seats remember in our minds when we "play" The Fifth in our heads. Listening to this, its almost like hearing the symphony again for the first time, one of the greatest experiences of my life 60 years ago.

This is the best version of Furtwängler himself. He should have lived for at least another fifty years, and his interpretation of Beethoven and of all other componists whould have reached a level and a complexity of expression which no other conductor could reach.

Estupenda 5 de Beethoven, con el cracteristico sonido de Furtwangler

I think that Furtwängler was one of the most greatest conductors.

I love those souls who do not give in to their fate.

Hi Jeff, Yes, the best conductor in Beethoven 5th. I agree with your point of view. Samuel Lee / Los Angeles

Over a half century has passed since the performance but the soul in the rendition is unchanged. After listening to about 10 different versions of Beethoven's 5 fifth, I find this the most moving one. Eventhough the sound quality isn't up to par with recent recordings naturally. It is simply more music in Furtwängler's version than the other's I've listened to so far eventhough they all share the same notes.

Bravo)))

SI EL GRAN BEETHOVEN FUERA A DIRIGIR ESTA SINFONÍA LO QUE SE ESCUCHARÍA SERÍA EXACTAMENTE ESTA MAGNA VERSIÓN DEL MÁS MAGNÍFICO DE LOS DIRECTORES DE ORQUESTA , WILHELM FURTWANGLER

Probably Furtwängler last performance of this symphony before he passed away the same year 1954.

Magnificent performance, as they are no longer heard. Magnificent ending!

It's like being a child again. You hear this and you remember the first time you heard it. You didn't know about all the different styles of interpretation and all the music theory, you just knew this is Beethoven's 5th and that's how it's played. By listening to Furtwangler's version you realize that there's no doubt that Beethoven himself would have played it like this. Karajan is good, of course, but his version can't even compete with this in my opinion.

這比1943 年還指揮得深沉。聽得我全身抽搐，淚流不止。

Beethoven, il mio entusiasmante amore !

Con Furtwängler, definitivamente uno escucha a Beethoven

Wonderful recording, though I still prefer Carlos Kleiber's interpretation with the Vienna Philharmonic.

Furtwängler is the best and I'm sure Beethoven would agree. I wish we could ask him. Let alone what he does with he volume and how he switches between instruments during what's usually a solo.... What a shame they didn't have better microphones and mediums back in the day... *close to tears*

The greatest conductor of the 20th century.

Grazie

Incredible. This makes me never want to hear Herbert von Karajan's cold, heartless interpretation again. (And yes... too bad we can only imagine this with 21st century recording technology.)

This is just what I wanted to hear how it should be interpreted this valuable piece. I never know a performance more than by the greatest conductor, Futwangler.

Easily the greatest conductor of the 20th century. Too bad he wasn't well known outside of Europe! The americans treated this genius like dirt after the war.

Un estilo define la vida de todos. Beethoven tuvo el suyo propio, así, con inmensa sabiduría lo interpretó Furtwangler, e hizo lo increíble: inmortalizó a ambos. Todo un estilo, un poder, una energía, sello incontrastable. Hasta siempre,

It's conducted freely, like an Opera.

Grabación clásica por excelencia

The knower’s work

Probablemente el mayor director de orquesta alemán del siglo XX Wilhelm Furtwängler.

i've heard this piece so many times and i have to say this is my favorite interpretation. Particularly the 1st movement for me a list of my top interpretations would be 1. Furtwängler 2. Bernstein 3. Kleiner I honestly cannot enjoy Karajan's interpretation. i have no words to describe it other than soulless.

Brillante , es de genios ! . Un verdadero placer escuchar esta obra maestra tan bien orquestada y dirigida.

TE BEST,THIS WAS EVER:WILHELM THE BEST PERFORMER OF BEETHOVEN MUSIC.

Furtwängler's interpretation is as just individual, as all the other conductor are not able to interpret this music so as Beethoven had meant. Furtwängler's interpretation is the nearest interpretation to the original music as Beethoven concieved it in his head. Thanks to Furtwängler we can hear the Beethoven's music as Beethoven himself probably heard his music for the first time in his head. In any case I personally feel the most comfort hearing Beethoven interpreted by Furtwängler, a comfort which I don't experience by no other conductor till now.

Superlative.

Aplausos eternos para el gran: Wilhelm

furtwängler said : i like the trippel B ..... bach, beethoven , brahms

Spätensten hher löst sich die Rhytmik hinsichtlich Ausdruck auf.Ein Wegbereiter ohne Gleichen

Remarkable weight of tone.

Muchísimo hermoso ♥️

Ancora una volta, mentre ascoltavo questa immortale meraviglia, sono stato raggiunto da un miserevole ANNUNCIO ; naturalmente mi asterro' dall'acquisto del prodotto annunciato ovvero dalla fruizione del servizio proposto !!! Se sono cosi' cafoni, i loro prodotti e/o i loro servizi sono di infima qualita'!!! SIC !!!

I have a sort of love/hate relationship with Furtwangler. I'm really not keen on the way he pulls tempi about and often his music has this speeding up and down quality rather like when you drive your car over speed bumps. But the more I listen to his music the more I realise how hugely influential he was on performing techniques in the 20th century. I think he really influenced how orchestras sound all over the world today. When i listen to von karajan's recording of later years I can still hear a lot of Furtwangler in the orchestra's performance. He built on what Furtwangler did. Without Furtwangler, Karajan's orchestra would not have sounded as it did.

Una excelente interpretación de la obra de Beethoven necesitamos más cultura.

interprétation excellente, toute la puissance de" Furt " avec son habituelle implication et son charisme sans faille , le tout dans un son plutot bon!

When and where was this performance? It has been a while since I listened to my 1943 Berlin recording of this, but this sounds like it could be that version.

Just listened to Toscanini's. This is as fine, just in a different way. I think I do prefer this slightly slower pace. All the greats - no complaints.

I've always wondered what the musicians that performed this symphony for the 1st time ever in the history of mankind must have felt, you know I mean the 1st performance ever in front Beethoven. Now that must have been a sensation so sublime.