Fantasia for piano, chorus, and orchestra ("Choral Fantasy"), Op. 80
Historically oriented performances of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, have not been common, perhaps because Beethoven was clearly aiming toward a monumental sound in the work and would gladly have discarded the limitations of the instruments of his own time if he could have. In the Ninth, the trend has been to observe Beethoven's metronome markings, despite mounting evidence that they were inaccurate. That's what happens in this release by the Freiburg Barockorchester under Pablo Heras-Casado; the opening ...
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Historically oriented performances of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, have not been common, perhaps because Beethoven was clearly aiming toward a monumental sound in the work and would gladly have discarded the limitations of the instruments of his own time if he could have. In the Ninth, the trend has been to observe Beethoven's metronome markings, despite mounting evidence that they were inaccurate. That's what happens in this release by the Freiburg Barockorchester under Pablo Heras-Casado; the opening movement of the Ninth is blisteringly fast and a bit inexpressive, although the finale is exciting. Heras-Casado actually takes the Scherzo a bit slower than is usual in these readings. There's much to recommend here, beginning with the reading of the Choral Fantasy, Op. 80, that is appended on a second CD. In the hands of fortepianist Kristian Bezuidenhout, the work truly is a fantasy: his opening piano section is rhythmically flexible, and the winds add details that come out as...
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