Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 7 (2006)

A New Musical Voice

It is refreshing to learn of a charismatic young conductor who inspires both his musicians and his listeners. It is important that new and young audiences have the opportunity to fall in love with classical music.

Although I love Beethoven's symphonies, I have tended to spend my listening and reviewing time of late with less familiar repertoire. I am trying to hear music less than familiar to me and to share my understanding of it. But there is seldom any need to hesitate in hearing Beethoven. Thus, when a friend urged me to hear Gustavo Dudamel's recording with the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra of Beethoven's 5th and 7th symphonies and offered to lend me the CD, I was more than glad to take him up on the offer. The opportunity to hear the youth orchestra was an important part of the appeal of this recording.

From the reviews here and elsewhere, many listeners have become genuinely enthusiastic about this CD. It is appropriate and desirable for people, especially classical music newcomers, to become excited by Maestro Dudamel and by these performances.

The problem, such as it is, lies in the welter of recordings of these two symphonies. Competition is fierce. Inevitably, in listening to these performances, I had in the mind's eye my recollections of other experiences with these works. I found the performances on this CD exciting and good, but they didn't teach me anything new about Beethoven. This is not to fault the recordings. They are fine efforts in an overcrowded field.

With the conductor and the orchestra's magnetic presence, these recordings make excellent introductions to two classic symphonies. I hope they will reach a wide audience and will encourage listeners to hear more Beethoven and more music by other composers. I hope Maestro Dudamel too will go on to success and to great accomplishment.

Robin Friedman