Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 8
Recorded in London, November 2013
Orchestre Révolutionnaire Et Romantique, John Eliot Gardiner
Many of [Beethoven's] markings seem improbably fast, and they have proved to be controversial, to say the least; but John Eliot Gardiner takes them seriously and there are some hair-raisingly...
Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 8
Recorded in London, November 2013
Orchestre Révolutionnaire Et Romantique, John Eliot Gardiner
Purchase product
Many of [Beethoven's] markings seem improbably fast, and they have proved to be controversial, to say the least; but John Eliot Gardiner takes them seriously and there are some hair-raisingly...
About
October 2014 marks the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique. Twenty years after their acclaimed Beethoven Symphonies recordings for Deutsche Grammophon, Sir John Eliot Gardiner and the orchestra continue to revisit this repertoire - this album follows the release of Symphonies 5 % 7 recorded live at Carnegie Hall.
The Second and Eighth, two of the “lighter” symphonies, are among Sir John Eliot’s favourites. The Second’s life-affirming energy is rooted in Mozart and 18th c. opera, at times romantically tender and others ferociously determined. Beethoven’s adventurous spirit can be heard in the Eighth, which is buoyant and energetic with a spirit of wit and playfulness.The album is presented in a digipack and contains a 28 pages booklet with original notes by BBC presenter and music journalist Stephen Johnson, translated in German and French.
Contents and tracklist
Awards and reviews
January 2015
Many of [Beethoven's] markings seem improbably fast, and they have proved to be controversial, to say the least; but John Eliot Gardiner takes them seriously and there are some hair-raisingly quick tempos here...it's possible to feel that a less sweeping performance would have allowed for more clarity of detail and greater weight, but there's no doubting the visceral excitement of the playing.
December 2014
Gardiner directs a more or less exemplary account of Beethoven's Second Symphony. The outer movements are swift-moving without being overdriven; textures are lean, detail is pertinent...Gardiner's high-speed performance of the Eighth Symphony is less of a success.
12th October 2014
These performances, recorded live at Cadogan Hall last November, are quite brilliant...the whole thing is a delight, and a total vindication of period-instrument Beethoven.
