Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
Performer: Renate Behle, Yvonne Naef, Glenn Winslade, Hanno Müller-Brachmann, Nicola Beller Carbone, Stella Doufexis, Christian Elsner, Rudolf Rosen, Rundfunkchor Berlin, SWR Vokalensemble
Orchestra: SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern
Conductor: Michael Gielen
Number of Discs: 9
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: SWR Digital
Catalogue: SWR19103CD
Release: 2020
Size: 2.68 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
CD 01
Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21
01. I. Adagio molto – Allegro con brio
02. II. Andante cantabile con moto
03. III. Minuet
04. IV. Finale
Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 55 ‘Eroica’
05. I. Allegro con brio
06. II. Marcia funebre
07. III. Scherzo
08. IV. Finale
CD 02
Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 36
01. I. Adagio molto – Allegro con brio
02. II. Larghetto
03. III. Scherzo
04. IV. Allegro molto
Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92
05. I. Poco sostenuto – Vivace
06. II. Allegretto
07. III. Presto
08. IV. Allegro con brio
CD 03
Symphony No. 4 in B flat major, Op. 60
01. I. Adagio – Allegro vivace
02. II. Adagio
03. III. Allegro vivace
04. IV. Allegro ma non troppo
Symphony No. 8 in F major, Op. 93
05. I. Allegro vivace e con brio
06. II. Allegretto scherzando
07. III. Tempo di menuetto
08. IV. Allegro vivace
CD 04
Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67
01. I. Allegro con brio
02. II. Andante con moto
03. III. Scherzo. Allegro – Trio
04. IV. Allegro
Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68 ‘Pastoral’
05. I. Erwachen heiterer Empfindungen bei der Ankunft auf dem Lande
06. II. Scene am Bach
07. III. Lustiges Zusammensein der Landleute
08. IV. Gewitter, Sturm
09. V. Hirtengesang, Frohe und dankbare Gefühle nach dem Sturm
CD 05
Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 ‘Choral’
01. I. Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso
02. II. Scherzo
03. III. Adagio molto e cantabile
04. IV. Presto – Allegro assai – Allegro molto assai – Andante maestoso – Adagio ma non troppo, ma divoto – Allegro energico, sempre ben marcato – Allegro ma non tanto – Pressitissmo
CD 06
Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 55 ‘Eroica’
01. I. Allegro con brio (Live)
02. II. Marcia funebre (Live)
03. III. Scherzo (Live)
04. IV. Finale (Live)
Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67 (Live)
05. I. Allegro con brio
06. II. Andante con moto
07. III. Scherzo
08. IV. Allegro
CD 07
Symphony No. 3 in E-Flat Major, Op. 55 “Eroica”
01. I. Allegro con brio
02. II. Marcia funebre
03. III. Scherzo. Allegro – Trio
04. IV. Finale
CD 08
01. Consecration of the House Overture, Op. 124
02. Leonore Overture No. 3, Op. 72b
03. Grosse Fuge in B flat major, Op. 133
Mass in C major, Op. 86
04. I. Kyrie
05. II. Gloria
06. III. Credo
07. IVa. Sanctus
08. IVb. Benedictus
09. V. Agnus Dei
CD 09
Egmont Incidental Music, Op. 84
01. Overture
Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92
02. I. Poco sostenuto – Vivace
03. II. Allegretto
04. III. Presto
05. IV. Allegro con brio
Symphony No. 1 in C Major, Op. 21
06. I. Adagio molto – Allegro con brio
07. II. Andante cantabile con moto
08. III. Minuet
09. IV. Finale
In the Beethoven year 2020 Gielen’s importance as an interpreter of Beethoven’s symphonies deserves to be acknowledged by a separate box within our edition. For a long time Gielen’s core competence was seen in connection with the Second Viennese School, though right from the start of his career as a conductor he had paid particular attention to the “First Viennese School” – Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven.
After Hermann Scherchen and René Leibowitz, Gielen was one of the first conductors to take Beethoven’s metronome markings seriously. He took advantage of two invitations from German Broadcasting organisations to establish himself in 1970 as the most radical innovator regarding Beethoven interpretations. The “Eroica” production with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra from 1980 was the first one after a long time to be based on Beethoven’s metronome markings, in all movements and more consistent than ever before. And, no wonder, the recording became quite famous.
The edition contains also the C Major Mass which until June 2007 has been the only important work by Beethoven that Gielen had never performed. The invitation from the SWR ensembles to come to Koblenz for the opening of the festival RheinVokal 2007 was therefore a welcome opportunity to study the piece and produce in advance in the Konzerthaus Freiburg. This next-to-last volume of the Michael Gielen EDITION is as musically interesting as you can expect.