Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92 - CD

“The performances of both works… are best described as raw: aggressive, surprisingly loud most of the time, fiercely accentuated, and with mainly brisk tempos, though surprisingly Weil does slow down somewhat for the trio of the Seventh's scherzo.” BBC Music Magazine, February 2009 ****

“In the slow movement of the Fourth Symphony the fairly brisk tempo combined with broad phrasing… makes for ravishing results. Indeed, the Fourth is a great success in all respects. The Seventh sometimes sounds more like a compromise, but is full of interesting details.” BBC Music Magazine, July 2008

“Biting, buoyant and very athletic - Järvi's Beethoven really bounds along…” Gramophone Magazine, August 2008

The fiery and gifted young maestro might have chosen lesser-known Latin American works for his debut on Deutsche Grammophon. Instead he opted for two of the most fequently recorded staples of the repertory: Beethoven's Fifth and Seventh Symphonies. The gamble has certainly paid off. The members of the Caracas-based Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra . . . combine youthful enthusiasm, technical finesse and mature profundity: a rare combination, and an ideal one to capture the urgency and optimism of Beethoven's Fifth. From the works sinister opening motif through the lyrical second movement to the spirited final allegro, there is a refreshing sense of excitement. Since this is, presumably, the first time most of theses young musicians have played the work, their polished reading is all the more impressive. In Beethoven's Seventh Symphony, Mr. Dudamel again elicits gorgeous phrasing from strings and winds. The hused, beautifully shaded Allegretto is particularly lovely, and the spirited Allegro comes off with unbridled brio. Record Review / Vivien Schweitzer, The New York Times / 27 August 2006

“There's a scarcely believable freshness and virtuosity in the playing…” BBC Music Magazine, October 2006 ****

“On the evidence of these performances - a vibrant, glowing Seventh and a poorly thought-out, run-of-the-mill Fifth - Dudamel is a born conductor but an unpractised interpreter. His style suggests a longing to return to the glory days of an era which ended with the deaths of Bernstein, Karajan and Solti. The sound is full-bodied and carefully groomed; there is no antiphonal division of the violins; repeats are in short supply. Yet who can entirely object when the playing is as glorious as much of this? The Fifth is bedevilled by a lack of a through pulse in the first movement development and coda, and otiose broadenings of the motto at the end. ...the Seventh... brings out the best in Dudamel's conducting; it's visceral energy, its generosity of spirit (and phrasing), its heart-warming nurturing of a belief that every note matters. The orchestra responds nobly to his demands. The finale is a dead ringer for Karajan's 1983 Berlin version, which is saying something. For these young musicians to come within hailing distance of so fabled an ensemble is an earnest of just how special they are.” Gramophone Magazine, November 2006

“Nothing like having your expectations challenged, especially in Beethoven where interpretative templates tend to settle for good. Past experience of Bernard Haitink in the symphonies left an impression of worthiness and generalised musicality; but the first instalment of the conductor's projected live Beethoven symphony cycle with the London Symphony Orchestra witnesses a significantly increased adrenalin count. As well as being vital and intelligently thought through, Haitink's new Seventh honours all repeats and has the inestimable advantage of spatially divided violin desks, particularly telling in the clear but relatively dry Barbican Hall acoustic. The first movement's bracing rhythms gambol rather than storm and there's genuine tenderness in the Allegretto. The Scherzo's dancing gait and the unforced momentum of the finale is very attractive.
What's strong about the Haitink's excellent Triple Concerto is its sense of architecture, the way Haitink builds the opening tutti so that the climactic passage where winds alternate with strings (2'04") establishes a real sense of arrival.
Interesting Haitink's soloists seem more integrated within the rest of the band than sopme versions, less in terms of sound than overall playing-style: inspired moments include Tim Hugh's rapt opening phrases in the second movement. And James Mallinson's integrated sound-picture for LSO Live is very pleasing.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“Aside from the architectural splendour of his performances, the sound he makes from the LSO is something you have to hear” The Guardian