Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
Orchestra: Gewandhausorchester Leipzig
Conductor: Riccardo Chailly
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Decca
Catalogue: 4783495
Release: 2012
Size: 354 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: cover
01. Coriolan Overture, Op. 62
Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67
02. I. Allegro con brio
03. II. Andante con moto
04. III. Allegro
05. IV. Allegro
Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68 ‘Pastoral’
06. I. Erwachen heiterer Empfindungen bei der Ankunft auf dem Lande. Allegro ma non troppo
07. II. Szene am Bach. Andante molto mosso
08. III. Lustiges Zusammensein der Landleute. Allegro
09. IV. Gewitter, Sturm. Allegro
10. V. Hirtengesang. Frohe und dankbare Gefühle nach dem Sturm. Allegretto
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. 5 in C minor and the Symphony No. 6 in F major, “Pastorale,” were made in 2009, with the Coriolan Overture recorded in 2007. 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.