SWF D20 – Release date: 12 September 2025
For the third time, SWF is releasing the full concert given by Furtwängler and his Berliner orchestra in Paris on 4 May 1954.
– Weber : Euryanthe Overture
– Brahms : Haydn Variations
– Schubert : ‘Unfinished’ Symphony
– Beethoven : Symphony No. 5
It was first released on CD (1994) and then on SACD (2015), although the latter could only fully satisfy those who owned the appropriate equipment. Now it is available to all our members for download in high-definition files. For each release, the recording was sourced from the archives of the Institut national de l'audiovisuel, which carried out a new digitisation process just for the SWF.
As we know, from a technical point of view, this is one of Furtwängler's most perfect live recordings. The main task for Christophe Hénault, who carried out the mastering, was to bring the source back to the correct pitch (440 Hz instead of 450!). Otherwise, the tape is exceptional in terms of dynamics, sound spectrum and timbre. It is also exempt from many of the flaws found on German or Italian tapes from that period: wow and flutter, tape skips, electrical noise, etc.
This is a Berlin orchestra at its best, performing works that were often played and recorded—except for Euryanthe's overture, which was recorded only once—but with a symphonic rendition and virtuosity rarely achieved. Furtwängler knew that Parisian audiences were demanding in terms of performance, and the loud applause at the end suggests that the listeners' expectations were fully met.
As with previous issues, this edition includes ‘Entretiens sur des entretiens’ (Conversations about Conversations), a series of three radio conversations in French between Furtwängler and Fred Goldbeck, which were broadcast to coincide with the publication of the book Entretiens sur la musique in Spring 1953, a translation of Gespräche über Musik. However, this time, we have made sure to accommodate our English-speaking members, and these interviews have been transcribed in English in the digital booklet. Finally, the INA has provided us with a previously unheard recording of a prelude to the third interview, recorded eight years later. We couldn't leave it out... The next article will provide more information about these Entretiens.
The concert is available in 192-24 (HD) and 44-16 (CD quality). The Entretiens are in 44-16. The product includes an illustrated digital booklet.
Published on 12 September, priced at €18.
Two excerpts in mp3: Haydn Variations & Conversation No. 2