Glossa Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphonies (Live-Recording 2011)

Frans Brüggen first turned his attention to the music of Beethoven s Nine Symphonies in the 1980s, using period instruments. Now, his quest undimmed, he returns to the glories of Beethoven s orchestral music for a new cycle being issued in a sumptuous hybrid SACD box set on Glossa. Likewise undimmed is the rapport he shares with his orchestra for one of classical music s greatest challenges by way of concert performances: Brüggen has long distanced himself from studio recordings. Review [Frans Bruggen] appears to have lost none of his energy ... he knows this music inside out and backwards and nothing is ever overstated ... it s Beethoven that you live with and the more you live with it the more you get out of it ... he just knows this music so extraordinarily well ... I love the sound of the slow introduction [Symphony No 4] ... it sounds dangerous, that s what I find exciting about this cycle ... it feels completely organic, it has a grace to it ... he brings the whole thing together. --Harriet Smith & Andrew McGregor, Radio 3 CD Review 16 November 2012 Frans Bruggen s Beethoven with his crack European ensemble is again a breath of fresh air ... every bar crackles with energy and delight. Excellent recorded sound, capturing a natural concert hall perspective. --Guy Weatherall, Classical Music Magazine 17 November 2012