Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
Performer: Katerina Beranova, Lilli Paasikivi, Robert Dean Smith, Hanno Müller-Brachmann, GewandhausChor, GewandhausKinderchor, MDF Rundfunkchor
Orchestra: Gewandhausorchester Leipzig
Conductor: Riccardo Chailly
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Decca
Catalogue: 4783497
Release: 2012
Size: 342 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: cover
01. Zur Namensfeier overture, Op. 115
King Stephen, Op. 117
02. Overture
Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 ‘Choral’
03. I. Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso
04. II. Molto vivace
05. III. Adagio molto e cantabile
06. IV. Presto – 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 this recording of the Symphony No. 9 in D minor, “Choral,” was made in 2008, while the Name-Day Overture and the King Stephen Overture were recorded in 2009. Chailly’s Beethoven draws on the traditions of performance long honored in Leipzig, so the interpretations of these works 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. In the Ninth, the vocal quartet is fully equipped for the demanding parts — the tenor, for example, sings, “Froh, wie seine Sonnen fliegen,” at twice the standard tempo — and the Gewandhaus Choir is both limber in its counterpoint and imposing in its sound. 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.