It is 30 years since the Chamber Orchestra of Europe first recorded a complete cycle of Beethoven’s symphonies. That was conducted by pioneering period-instrument specialist Nikolaus Harnoncourt and is still regarded today as one of the finest available recordings.
This new five-CD set was recorded live at the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden in July last year. It is ironic that Yannick Nézet-Séguin, coming from the standard symphonic repertoire, should deliver performances that sound more “period” aware than Harnoncourt’s, but that tells us how much the accepted style of playing Beethoven has moved on in the interim.
One attraction of the new set is that Nézet-Séguin is the first on disc to benefit from the New Complete Edition of the symphonies. This yields many incidental surprises along the way, though no major revelations.
The playing of the COE, which uses traditional instruments, is lightweight and remarkably clear, so that details are constantly coming to light. Nézet-Séguin’s crisp manner and swift speeds (only the slow movement of the Ninth surprises in its expansiveness) work best in the most classical of the symphonies, like the First and Eighth, together with a buoyant Seventh. The “Pastoral” is also refreshingly clear-headed and joyous.
In the more mighty symphonies Harnoncourt’s bigger scale pays dividends. He brings molten power to the “Eroica”, is blazing in the finale of the Fifth, and elemental in the Ninth. Nézet-Séguin’s Ninth is consistently clipped and contained, as he is elsewhere. Of the two, Harnoncourt remains the first choice.
★★★☆☆
‘Beethoven: The Symphonies’ is released by DG
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