Born in Vienna in April 1902, the cheery-looking Josef Krips seems to have been pre-destined to achieve eminence in the Viennese classics. He recorded with both, the Wiener Philharmoniker and the key London orchestras for Decca in the 1940s, 50s and 60s and the interpretations have genuine expressive power while remaining devoid of exaggeration or affectation.
Here we have two extremely rare recordings, both receiving their first international release on CD. They are the only two recordings Krips made with the Concertgebouw Orchestra for Decca. The Beethoven is beautifully paced and energetic, the Schubert painted on an expansive canvas, never exaggerated and offering fascinating comparison with his later recording of this work, also for Decca, but with the London Symphony Orchestra (Decca Eloquence 480 4725).
BEETHOVEN
Symphony No. 4 in B flat major, Op. 60
SCHUBERT
Symphony No. 9 in C major, D.944 ‘Great’
Concertgebouw Orchestra
Josef Krips
FIRST INTERNATIONAL RELEASE ON CD
Recording Producers: Victor Olof (Beethoven); John Culshaw (Schubert)
Balance Engineer: Kenneth Wilkinson
Recording Location: Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, September 1953 (Beethoven), May 1952 (Schubert)
‘The excellence of the performance is matched by that of the recording; it manages to be very clean and forward. An unreservedly good recording of this piece’ (Schubert) Gramophone
‘a smooth and silky recording, with a wonderful richness of tone’ (Beethoven) Gramophone