COMPOSERS: Beethoven
LABELS: Philips Solo
WORKS: Symphony No. 1; Symphony No. 3 (Eroica)
PERFORMER: Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra/Bernard Haitink
CATALOGUE NO: 454 132-2 1988
Pairing youthful and imperial Beethoven, Haitink and the Concertgebouw Orchestra are keen to render the martial strain that is a shared feature of these symphonies. Part of the performers’ success lies in their choice of snappy tempi for all the movements. With a lively, responsive sound, strings and brass well to the fore, they also achieve a powerful sense of the composer’s debt to French Revolutionary music. An ideal choice for those already familiar with more Romantic readings. Nicholas Williams
Beethoven: Symphony No. 1; Symphony No. 3 (Eroica)
Pairing youthful and imperial Beethoven, Haitink and the Concertgebouw Orchestra are keen to render the martial strain that is a shared feature of these symphonies. Part of the performers’ success lies in their choice of snappy tempi for all the movements. With a lively, responsive sound, strings and brass well to the fore, they also achieve a powerful sense of the composer’s debt to French Revolutionary music. An ideal choice for those already familiar with more Romantic readings. Nicholas Williams
Our rating
4
Published: January 20, 2012 at 2:40 pm