It goes almost without saying that the lighter works, such as Leonore No. 1, Prometheus, King Stephan, and The Ruins of Athens respond particularly well, but there are surprises too. The Fidelio Overture, for example, is both eruptive and powerful. So is this swift rendition of Coriolan (which almost always sounds better the faster it goes), and Zinman delivers a terrifically buoyant and joyous Consecration of the House. Egmont and the two big Leonore overtures (that is, Nos. 2 and 3) could pack a bigger punch, but heard in context what Zinman does with them makes perfect sense. Indeed, these two discs, totaling about 88 minutes of music, work very well as a coherent program. The bottom line: this is Beethoven easy on the ear, but never dull. It won't rock your world, but it will keep you consistently entertained, and that's no small achievement in itself.