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Symphony No. 1 in B flat & Symphony No. 2 in C

Czech Philharmonic Orchestra

19,9928,49
(1 press review)
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Original Recording Format: DSD 64
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Symphonic Problem Solving
Beethoven, Beethoven, always Beethoven. There was just no way past him. The ninth and final symphony of the Viennese master doomed every composer who attempted to compose a work belonging to this genre. The height of the bar that Beethoven raised with his “Ode to Joy” was simply too high. What could come next after the daring integration of the human voice with the “pure” musical world of the symphony? It was to last a quarter of a century, filled with half hearted, provincial and diminutive attempts lacking in perspective, before Niels Gade, Franz Schubert, Felix Mendelssohn and Robert Schumann could inject new blood into the symphony.

Tracklist

Please note that the below previews are loaded as 44.1 kHz / 16 bit.
1.
Symphony No. 1 - Andante un poco maestoso-Allegro molto vivace
11:04
2.
Symphony No. 1 - Larghetto
06:44
3.
Symphony No. 1 - Scherzo (Molto vivace)
05:36
4.
Symphony No. 1 - Allegro animato e grazioso
08:49
5.
Symphony No. 2 - Sostenuto assai - allegro ma non troppo
13:03
6.
Symphony No. 2 - Scherzo (allegro vivace)
07:02
7.
Symphony No. 2 - Adagio espressivo
10:21
8.
Symphony No. 2 - Allegro molto vivace
08:17

Total time: 01:10:56

Additional information

Label

SKU

PTC5186326

Qualities

, ,

Channels

, ,

Artists

Composers

Genres

,

Cables

van den Hul

Digital Converters

Meitner

Mastering Equipment

B&W Nautilus

Conductors

Original Recording Format

Producer

Job Maarse

Recording Engineer

Jean Marie Geijsen

Recording location

Dvorak hall of the Rudolfinum, Prague

Recording Software

Merging

Recording Type & Bit Rate

DSD64

Release DateJuly 17, 2015

Press reviews

SA-CD.net 5 out of 5

A natural rapport seems to have emerged between the veteran guest conductor and the orchestra yielding two exhilarating and affectionate interpretations. Both are free from unwelcome interpretive gestures that on repeated listening could become irritating, but neither lack character nor at any point sound routine.

It should be stated right at the outset that these are performances in the mainstream tradition making them a refreshing alternative to those recorded by chamber orchestras and period groups. Foster does, however, seat his orchestra with basses rear left and violins to his left and right thus

bringing into sharp relief the antiphonal exchanges in, for example, the Finale of the 1st Symphony and the Scherzo of the 2nd. Furthermore, Foster’s tempi for these big band performances are brisk and the results are undeniably exciting. Although these are ‘live’ performances they are mercifully free from audience noise and applause.

Polyhymnia engineers throughout have managed to capture a sound that is warm and smooth. The benefits of the generous acoustic are immediately apparent in the glowing reproduction of the eloquent string playing in the glorious slow movement that follows.

These full-blooded performances with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra in top form will, I suspect, appeal to many listeners wanting a recording of this coupling. Strongly recommended.

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