Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 'Choral'

Frans Brüggen first turned his attention to the music of Beethoven’s Nine Symphonies in the 1980s, using period instruments. Now, his quest undimmed, he returns to the glories of Beethoven’s orchestral music for a new cycle being issued in a sumptuous hybrid SACD box set on Glossa. Likewise undimmed is the rapport he shares with his orchestra for one of classical music’s greatest challenges by way of concert performances: Brüggen has long distanced himself from studio recordings.

In May 2002, in a series of live concerts in the Golden Hall of Vienna's Musikverein, a journey unique in the Wiener Philharmoniker's long and distinguished history reached its conclusion. This thrilling set of symphonies is the fruit of that journey.

The recordings were made 'live' after numerous performances of individual symphonies and complete cycles in Tokyo, Berlin and Vienna. Rattle believes that a live performance has its own rhythm. The conductor 'channelling his unrelenting energy' was something audiences and the critics noticed at the concerts in the Musikverein. “Rattle left all landmark conductors behind him, as he unleashed then tamed, shaped, and painted the musical forces to be heard here...[Beethoven] certainly has his best advocate in Simon Rattle”, claimed Austria’s Standard after one of the recorded concerts.

“The well-known, often played and much-loved Beethoven classics are not just reeled off in expert routine,“ observed the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in 2001, “but are thought through and spontaneously rendered at the highest levels. The musicians react directly to the smallest gestures from their conductor. It's not often that one experiences such perfection.” The Berliner Morgenpost said of the cycle's character and capacity to excite: “Rattle goes for clear contours, for rhythm, dynamics and above all physical energy. He doesn't pay tribute to a genius transfigured and endowed with mythical status by 200 years of tradition but presents us instead with a Beethoven for today.”

The release of the complete Beethoven Symphonies under the banner of Beethoven for All will launch a unique recording and performance project for 2012 in which, in his 70th year, the tireless Daniel Barenboim will also release the complete Piano Concertos and Piano Sonatas.

“I think the Beethoven symphonies with the Divan orchestra is different in the sense that there is a terrific amount of energy because of the youth of the people – but there is just as much rigour. The combination of rigour with youthful energy is very strong” (Daniel Barenboim, speaking in the TV documentary on this project).

The Symphonies were recorded in August 2011 in Cologne, the glorious instalment of a worldwide tour that began in August 2010 at the legendary Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires and will cover four continents by 2012. The orchestra’s 2012 engagements include a European tour culminating in the performance of all Nine Symphonies at the BBC Proms.

This major international project will be supported by a new TV documentary, TV spots, EPKs, a project website, and special online tools to help you make Daniel Barenboim’s Beethoven for All 2012 a global event.

Herbert Blomstedt is one of the world’s most famous and respected conductors of today. His Beethoven cycle from the 70-ties still counts among the best. Review from ClassicsToday.com: “10/10”: “Herbert Blomstedt’s Beethoven cycle with the Staatskapelle Dresden is one of the great ones, as much as for the magnificent playing of this finest of all German orchestras, as for Blomstedt’s effortlessly musical interpretations.” Beethoven’s nine symphonies – composed between 1800 and 1824 – are true cornerstones of the classical canon.

Marking an irrefutable turning point in the history of music, they transformed audiences’ expectations of the symphony and influenced the genre’s future development through their experimental, dramatic and expressive weight. Conductors have long been drawn to the profundity of these works: a complete cycle of Beethoven symphonies is viewed as one of the ultimate challenges in the repertoire, and the performances in this set are undoubtedly among the greatest to have been recorded, illuminating the skill of the Staatskapelle Dresden and Herbert Blomstedt, one of the most distinguished conductors of the 20th and 21st centuries. The symphonies trace Beethoven’s development as a composer, from the earlier works that document his emergence from the Viennese tradition, through to his experimental and critically divisive late style. Particularly famed for its landmark status in the history of music is the ‘Eroica’ Symphony (No.3), notable for its innovative approach to sonata form and embodiment of Beethoven’s ‘heroic’ style. Also included are the legendary Symphony No.5, known for its distinctive opening motif and rigorous large-scale structure, the dramatic ‘Pastoral’ Symphony, and the sophisticated Seventh Symphony.

The collection is, of course, concluded by the monumental Symphony No.9 – known as the ‘Choral’ Symphony because of its ground-breaking, transcendent finale, sung here by the Dresden State Opera Chorus and a group of acclaimed soloists. Over 30 years after their initial release, these recordings have remained one of the ultimate Beethoven symphony cycles, a testament to the quality of the performances and Blomstedt’s interpretations. Brought together in a set of excellent value, this 5-disc collection is a must-have addition to the libraries of classical music fans, old and new.

This complete cycle of Beethoven’s nine Symphonies is a landmark event for Decca, for Maestro Chailly, and for the Gewandhausorchester, where he has been Kapellmeister since 2005.

These acclaimed performances were recorded live in the Gewandhaus over the last three years, in preparation for the highly-anticipated complete cycles that Maestro Chailly and the orchestra will give in several major European cities in October and November 2011 – performances which will provide the platform for launching these important new recordings.

The cycle showcases the finesse and musicality of the legendary Gewandhaus Orchestra − from the Haydnesque elegance of the first two symphonies, to the grandeur and drama of the choral Ninth Symphony.

This 5CD set of the nine Symphonies also includes selected Beethoven Overtures.

5 SACDs for the price of 2

BIS is pleased to release the boxed set of their critically-acclaimed Beethoven Symphonies Cycle.

‘Vänskä's Beethoven looks set to be a front-runner among the historically unprejudiced cycles now available.’ ‘…a Beethoven reforged for today's world’ Gramophone

Herbert von Karajan’s first cycle of Beethoven’s symphonies with the Philharmonia Orchestra on EMI has always been something of an ugly duckling when compared to the various Berlin Philharmonic incarnations on Deutsche Grammophon. Now reissued in a bargain 5 CD box, this is part of the truckload of Karajan 100th anniversary releases, which will no doubt raise controversy in some quarters and be welcomed in others. For me, if it’s nicely produced and cheaper than a box of quasi half-decent cigars then ‘bring it on’ as they say, and this box is certainly no slouch when it comes to presentation.