Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
Orchestra: Gewandhausorchester Leipzig
Conductor: Riccardo Chailly
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Decca
Catalogue: 4783494
Release: 2012
Size: 349 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: cover
Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 55 ‘Eroica’
01. I. Allegro con brio
02. II. Marcia funebre. Adagio assai
03. III. Scherzo. Allegro vivace
04. IV. Finale. Allegro molto
Fidelio, Op. 72
05. Overture
Symphony No. 4 in B flat major, Op. 60
06. I. Adagio – Allegro vivace
07. II. Adagio
08 .III. Allegro vivace
09. IV. Allegro ma non troppo
The Gewandhaus Orchestra’s history of playing the nine symphonies of Ludwig van Beethoven extends back to 1825, when the composer was still alive, and these masterworks have been a mainstay of its repertoire ever since. After Riccardo Chailly took the helm of the Gewandhaus Orchestra in 2005, the idea of performing the full cycle for Decca under his direction became an imperative, and these recordings of the Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, “Eroica,” and the Symphony No. 4 in B flat major were made in 2008 and 2009 respectively, with the Fidelio Overture also recorded in 2009. Chailly’s Beethoven draws on the traditions of performance long honored in Leipzig, so the interpretations of the symphonies have more than a little of historically informed practice about them, while still being mainstream performances. Tempos are generally brisk, and textures are immaculate, while the strings play with minimal vibrato, and the winds offer distinctive and colorful sonorities. So the ideals of authentic period practice are realized without annoying mannerisms, and the music has the dynamic flexibility and robust qualities that everyone wants in Beethoven. Decca’s sound quality is crisp and clean, with nearly ideal resonance.