The period-instrument Beethoven symphony cycle from Le Concert des Nations and its conductor, Jordi Savall, was delayed multiple times by the COVID-19 pandemic, including by the affliction of Savall himself. It was completed in the fall of 2021, which, Savall points out, was still within the Beethoven 250th-anniversary year. Little distraction is evident in the playing, with the musicians following Savall through detailed texture work at blistering tempos just as remarkably as they did in the collection of the first five ...
Read More
The period-instrument Beethoven symphony cycle from Le Concert des Nations and its conductor, Jordi Savall, was delayed multiple times by the COVID-19 pandemic, including by the affliction of Savall himself. It was completed in the fall of 2021, which, Savall points out, was still within the Beethoven 250th-anniversary year. Little distraction is evident in the playing, with the musicians following Savall through detailed texture work at blistering tempos just as remarkably as they did in the collection of the first five symphonies. Those tempos, Savall's trademark in Classical-period music, will be a point of contention; the slow movement of the Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 ("Choral") comes in between two and five minutes shorter than most other readings. The Minuet of the Symphony No. 8 in F major, Op. 93, loses its wry humor at Savall's clip and the rapidity of the first three movements of the Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68 ("Pastoral"), drains energy from the thunderstorm fourth. On the...
Read Less
Portions of content provided by Rovi Corporation. © 2024 Rovi Corporation.