You may be wary of a version of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in D minor. Op. 125, played by an ensemble with the word "Camerata" in its name, but be assured that this live recording by the Manchester Camerata under Douglas Boyd has plenty of power. It's not easy to come up with a distinctive reading of Beethoven's Ninth, but Boyd achieves one with his sparse, clear 59-player orchestra that is broken up into a great variety of textures. Overall, Boyd tends toward quick tempos (especially in the slow movement) and a sound ...
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You may be wary of a version of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in D minor. Op. 125, played by an ensemble with the word "Camerata" in its name, but be assured that this live recording by the Manchester Camerata under Douglas Boyd has plenty of power. It's not easy to come up with a distinctive reading of Beethoven's Ninth, but Boyd achieves one with his sparse, clear 59-player orchestra that is broken up into a great variety of textures. Overall, Boyd tends toward quick tempos (especially in the slow movement) and a sound influenced by the historical-performance movement, with sharp string accents making up for the low overall volume, clearly defined wind and brass parts, and little vibrato. There are many lovely moments, including the opening of the symphony, which brings a fine sense of mystery resolved by cadential motion toward the eventual main theme. The points in the symphony where Beethoven makes absolutely unheard-of decisions and diverges completely from any previous models all have a real...
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