Notes and Editorial Reviews
This is a hybrid Super Audio CD playable on both regular and Super Audio CD players.
All of the discs in this set have been reviewed individually, and in detail. Still, it's worth pointing out that this is unquestionably one of the great Beethoven cycles, and on SACD there's certainly none better. Osmo Vänskä manages to have the best of both worlds--an interpretive perspective enhanced by the latest scholarship, as performed by a great orchestra on a mission. And this is exactly what Beethoven needs: a point of view, and total commitment. There are no weak performances here. In the "Eroica" I was just a touch disappointed in the first movement when
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Vänskä's pursuit of the barely audible pianissimo threatened to become a mannerism, but that is about the only criticism possible to level at this set.
His Fifth blazes; the Seventh offers the apotheosis of excitement that never spins out of control. The early symphonies have charm and humor in abundance. The Fourth and Eighth reveal Beethoven's masterly command of movement and proportion with effortless enthusiasm. In the Sixth we find a perfect balance between programmatic description and symphonic logic. It's all capped by one of the great Ninths, with a perfectly timed Adagio and a gloriously sung finale. If you haven't been purchasing these discs as they were released, then get the box. It's one of the few cycles that maintains the highest standards all the way through, and the sonics are uniformly stunning.
--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com
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Works on This Recording
1.
Symphony no 2 in D major, Op. 36 by Ludwig van Beethoven
Conductor:
Osmo Vänskä
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Minnesota Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1801-1802; Vienna, Austria
2.
Symphony no 7 in A major, Op. 92 by Ludwig van Beethoven
Conductor:
Osmo Vänskä
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Minnesota Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1811-1812; Vienna, Austria
3.
Symphony no 1 in C major, Op. 21 by Ludwig van Beethoven
Conductor:
Osmo Vänskä
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Minnesota Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1800; Vienna, Austria
4.
Symphony no 6 in F major, Op. 68 "Pastoral" by Ludwig van Beethoven
Conductor:
Osmo Vänskä
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Minnesota Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1808; Vienna, Austria
5.
Symphony no 9 in D minor, Op. 125 "Choral" by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performer:
Daniel Norman (Tenor),
Helena Juntunen (Soprano),
Neal Davies (Bass Baritone),
Katarina Karnéus (Mezzo Soprano),
Neal Davies (Bass Baritone)
Conductor:
Osmo Vänskä
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Minnesota Orchestra,
Minnesota Chorale
Period: Classical
Written: 1822-1824; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: January, 2006
Venue: Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis, Minnesota,
Length: 65 Minutes 46 Secs.
Language: German
6.
Symphony no 3 in E flat major, Op. 55 "Eroica" by Ludwig van Beethoven
Conductor:
Osmo Vänskä
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Minnesota Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1803; Vienna, Austria
Venue: Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Length: 49 Minutes 54 Secs.
7.
Symphony no 8 in F major, Op. 93 by Ludwig van Beethoven
Conductor:
Osmo Vänskä
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Minnesota Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1812; Vienna, Austria
Venue: Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Length: 25 Minutes 25 Secs.
8.
Symphony no 4 in B flat major, Op. 60 by Ludwig van Beethoven
Conductor:
Osmo Vänskä
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Minnesota Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1806; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: 05/01/2004
Venue: Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Length: 33 Minutes 37 Secs.
9.
Symphony no 5 in C minor, Op. 67 by Ludwig van Beethoven
Conductor:
Osmo Vänskä
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Minnesota Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1807-1808; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: 04/30/2004
Venue: Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Length: 32 Minutes 36 Secs.
Sound Samples
Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21: I. Adagio molto - Allegro con brio
Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21: II. Andante cantabile con moto
Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21: III. Menuetto: Allegro molto e vivace
Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21: IV. Finale: Adagio - Allegro molto e vivace
Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 36: I. Adagio molto - Allegro molto
Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 36: II. Larghetto
Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 36: III. Scherzo
Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 36: IV. Allegro molto
Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review: 
( 1 Customer Review )
My 2nd favorite April 3, 2012
By Richard H. (Glendale, AZ) See All My Reviews
"This is the best performance of the big nine on SACD to date. Vanska's approach to Beethoven is deliberate and spot on. He is second only to the 1972 peformance by Solti and CSO (my opinion). Like Solti he doesn't try to be more clever than Beethoven by doubling here and there and skipping repeats. He very wisely left that claim to fame with Karajan, Bernstein etc. etc. The SACD recording of course is fantastic and this is a set any Beethoven devotee should own."
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