Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
Orchestra: Orchestra of the 18th Century
Conductor: Frans Brüggen
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Glossa
Catalogue: GCDC81118
Release: 2014
Size: 334 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: cover
Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68 ‘Pastoral’
01. I. Awakening of Cheerful Feelings Upon Arrival in the Country: Allegro ma non troppo
02. II. Scene by the Brook: Andante molto mosso
03. III. Merry Gathering of Country Folk: Allegro
04. IV. Thunderstorm: Allegro
05. V. Shepherd’s Song: Happy and Thankful Feelings after the Storm: Allegretto
Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67
06. I. Allegro con brio
07. II. Andante con moto
08. III. Allegro
09. IV. Allegro
It was but a few years after founding the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century in 1981 that Frans Brüggen first turned his attention to the music of Beethoven’s Nine Symphonies and endeavoured to perceive that special orchestral landscape, in order to transform it into musical sound, with the use of period instruments rediscovering historical tonal colours. The indefatigable Dutch conductor returned to immerse himself anew in this glorious music with a complete cycle made in the autumn of 2011 and released by Glossa in the following year. From this new survey, the Fifth and Sixth Symphonies are now appearing on Glossa Cabinet, and continue to demonstrate the rapport he shares with his orchestra for one of classical music’s greatest challenges of realising the intimate and the familiar in these symphonies, a challenge achieved here on record by way of concert performances (Brüggen has long distanced himself from studio recordings).
Once controversial and the subject of much debate for scholars and lay listeners alike, period performance practice (also known as historically informed practice) has been increasingly accepted by audiences, so a recording of Ludwig van Beethoven’s symphonies played on original instruments and interpreted in authentic 18th century style is no longer a stumbling block. Indeed, just seeing the names of Frans Brüggen and the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century will give many people an immediate impression of what to expect: Classical music played by a small and lean orchestra, with glossy strings and distinctive woodwinds and brass, brisk tempos, repeats scrupulously taken, and all of the composer’s intentions closely observed. Yet even with this easy predictability and the extreme familiarity of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in C minor and the Symphony No. 6 in F major, “Pastoral,” these performances are actually quite fresh and exciting, thanks to Brüggen’s engagement with his musicians and their responsiveness. The music they make is spontaneous and vigorous, and far from any misconception of period performances being the work of antiquarians, they play with as much passion and brilliance as any modern orchestra could. These live performances were recorded in Rotterdam in 2011, and the reproduction is exceptional for standard CD. Highly recommended.