Description

The four releases in the Wiener Symphoniker’s first full recorded Beethoven’s symphony cycle met with universal acclaim from critics and audiences alike. Now the fifth part, in the form of the Symphony No. 9, is being released. The CD is part of the Wiener Symphoniker’s Road to Beethoven, a project to prepare for the year 2020, the 250th anniversary of the composer, a towering father-figure for classical music.

With this new release, the Wiener Symphoniker are hoping to follow up on the great success of their four CDs in the cycle. Both the first CD with Symphonies Nos. 1 and 3 and the second with Nos. 4 and 5 have been picked as “CD of the month” by various international music magazines.  The latest release Nos. 6 and 8 was awarded in France for Trophées Classique Radio. Based on these releases, the British Gramophone magazine nominated the orchestra for “Orchestra of the Year 2018”. In particular, the magazine praised Jordan’s approach of combining the classic Viennese sound with a more modern, leaner interpretation, original tempos and insights from historically informed performance. For Jordan, the content of the music was paramount. His goal was not to revere Beethoven as a monument but rather to present him in a more “natural, direct and personal” way.

Description

In February 2019, the penultimate part of the Wiener Symphoniker’s first recorded Beethoven cycle will appear with Symphonies No. 6 and 8.

This CD is the continuation of the orchestra’s Road to Beethoven project, an undertaking in preparation of the 250th anniversary of the birth of the Viennese by choice and patriarch of classical music in 2020. Following the huge success of the respective releases of the cycle so far, the expectations are high indeed. The third part featuring Symphonies No. 2 and 7 received numerous accolades and ranked high in the annual best lists of international critics. The German classical music magazine Concerti, for instance, praised: “There, Philippe Jordan with the Wiener Symphoniker succeeded in creating something amazing: The symbiosis of the fine Viennese sound and the directness and transparency of historical performance practice, dynamically flexible and driven by emphasis.” The Wiener Symphoniker wrote music history with the premieres of works by Bruckner, Ravel and Schönberg. Under the direction of such illustrious conductors as Wilhelm Furtwängler, Herbert von Karajan, Carlo Maria Giulini or Georges Prêtre, it gained worldwide fame for its Viennese sound style. In light of this more than hundred-year magnificent history, it is all the more astonishing that the Orchestra has never so far recorded Beethoven’s nine symphonies, which are often described as the peak of the symphonic repertoire.

This gap in the Orchestra’s discography has been in the process of being closed since autumn 2017: The Orchestra is releasing all nine symphonies of the great Viennese by choice at half-yearly intervals on a total of five CDs. The whole cycle will then be available on the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth in 2020. They were recorded live under the direction of Music Director Philippe Jordan in the Golden Hall of the Musikverein.

Description

With this publication, the Wiener Symphoniker want to build on the great success of the first two CDs of the cycle. Both the first CD with Symphonies Nos. 1 and 3 and the second with Symphonies Nos. 4 and 5 were awarded CD’s of the month by various international specialist magazines. The British Gramophone Magazine nominated the orchestra on the basis of the publication of the Orchestra of the Year 2018. Particularly praised were Jordan’s approach to mute Viennese sound culture with a contemporary, leaner interpretation, original tempos and insights from historical performance practice. For Jordan, the focus was on content: Beethoven should not be honored as a monument, but be presented “more naturally, more directly and more humane”.