Beethoven: Symphonies 1- 4

[Ansermet] interprets Beethoven 4 with grandeur and authority and perfect spontaneity... Ansermet's reading of Coriolan is fine... The attack and chording, and the shaping of the overture otherwise,... — Gramophone Magazine More…

Release Date: 14th Sep 2009
Catalogue No: ELQ4800391
Label: Eloquence
Length: 2 hours 31 minutes

Beethoven: Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21

Work length27:02

$3.65

$4.95

Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
Ernest Ansermet

1. Adagio molto - Allegro con brio

Track length9:41

$1.10

$1.50

2. Andante cantabile con moto

Track length7:10

$0.85

$1.15

3. Menuetto (Allegro molto e vivace)

Track length4:04

$0.85

$1.15

4. Finale (Adagio - Allegro molto e vivace)

Track length6:07

$0.85

$1.15

Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 55 'Eroica'

Work length48:03

$3.40

$4.60

Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
Ernest Ansermet

1. Allegro con brio

Track length14:34

$0.85

$1.15

2. Marcia funebre (Adagio assai)

Track length15:15

$0.85

$1.15

3. Scherzo (Allegro vivace)

Track length5:59

$0.85

$1.15

4. Finale (Allegro molto)

Track length12:15

$0.85

$1.15

Beethoven: Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 36

Work length33:27

$3.40

$4.60

Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
Ernest Ansermet

1. Adagio molto - Allegro con brio

Track length10:34

$0.85

$1.15

2. Larghetto

Track length11:59

$0.85

$1.15

3. Scherzo (Allegro)

Track length3:46

$0.85

$1.15

4. Allegro molto

Track length7:08

$0.85

$1.15

Beethoven: Symphony No. 4 in B flat major, Op. 60

Work length35:35

$3.40

$4.60

Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
Ernest Ansermet

1. Adagio - Allegro vivace

Track length12:30

$0.85

$1.15

2. Adagio

Track length9:46

$0.85

$1.15

3. Allegro vivace

Track length5:54

$0.85

$1.15

4. Allegro ma non troppo

Track length7:25

$0.85

$1.15

Beethoven: Coriolan Overture, Op. 62

Work length7:06

$0.85

$1.15

Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
Ernest Ansermet

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In the latest instalment of the Decca Ansermet Legacy, Decca Eloquence introduces the Swiss conductor's recordings of Beethoven - his symphony cycle, overtures and the rare Weingartner arrangement of the Grosse Fuge. They are issued as three 2-CD sets.

Francois Hudry, the supreme commentator on the art of Ernest Ansermet writes, "the new vision he brought to the Beethoven symphonies was astonishing. Perhaps he was too early in what he did, in his respect for the text and in his weeding out of all the Romantic touches and subjectivity which held sway at the time. Without recourse to so-called 'authentic' instruments, Ansermet was trying to return to the composer's intentions, as given in the score, avoiding the imposition of any responses of his own on the audience."

In Beethoven, Ansermet heard not just a titan but a romantic, sensual man, not just a thunderer but composer of sensitivity and subtlety. Even the mighty 'Eroica' was allowed to a reveal a softer, perhaps even a more feminine aspect. Whether he was conducting Beethoven or Ravel, Ansermet had a fine ear for instrumental colour, and a talent for keeping rhythms well-sprung and flexible. At times, Ansermet's Beethoven even seems to anticipate the 'authentic' Beethoven performances that became popular in the 1990s, although Ansermet got his results without having to rely on the sometimes unpredictable behaviour of period instruments.

Reviews

[Ansermet] interprets Beethoven 4 with grandeur and authority and perfect spontaneity... Ansermet's reading of Coriolan is fine... The attack and chording, and the shaping of the overture otherwise, are all impressive, and the vividness of the drums is particularly striking.

Beethoven: Symphonies 1- 4

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