Lest it ever be forgotten, the 1980 recording of Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in D minor, "Choral," by Herbert Blomstedt and the Dresden Staatskapelle has been reissued by Brilliant Classics multiple times, and one might assume that it merits some attention for the myriad occasions it has been repackaged. It is certainly a durable performance that closely adheres to the score, and the dedicated follower of recordings of this celebrated work would be hard-pressed to find fault with it on any but the slightest points ...
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Lest it ever be forgotten, the 1980 recording of Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in D minor, "Choral," by Herbert Blomstedt and the Dresden Staatskapelle has been reissued by Brilliant Classics multiple times, and one might assume that it merits some attention for the myriad occasions it has been repackaged. It is certainly a durable performance that closely adheres to the score, and the dedicated follower of recordings of this celebrated work would be hard-pressed to find fault with it on any but the slightest points. Blomstedt and his musicians deliver the music with sharp accuracy, and the microphone arrangement is close enough to highlight everything from soft and fleeting woodwind solos to the faintest tremolos in the strings. Where one has to make allowance is in the quality of the recording, which is a clean but dry analog sound that is terrific for picking out details, but too crisp and clinical for bringing across the majesty of the music in anything resembling glorious sonorities....
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