Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 7

Ludwig van Beethoven (Composer), Nikolaus Harnoncourt (Conductor), Chamber Orchestra of Europe (Orchestra)

Product Details

• Orchestra: Chamber Orchestra of Europe
• Conductor: Nikolaus Harnoncourt
• Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
• Audio CD (October 6, 1992)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Elektra / Wea
• ASIN: B000000SGO
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #529,344 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. Symphony No. 4 in B flat major, Op. 60: Adagio-Allegro vivace

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

3. Symphony No. 4 in B flat major, Op. 60: Allegro vivace

4. Symphony No. 4 in B flat major, Op. 60: Allegro ma non troppo

5. Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92: Poco sostenuto-Vivace

6. Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92: Allegretto

7. Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92: Presto

8. Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92: Allegro con brio

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

These two symphonies are a popular CD pairing, and they actually have quite a bit in common. Both begin with long, slow introductions, have fleet Scherzo third movements and two of Beethoven's zippiest finales. Nikolaus Harnoncourt conducts both works with a keen understanding of both their similarities and differences. They rank with the finest modern performances available. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Favorite, July 1, 2002

By	Randy Given (Manchester, CT USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This is my favorite Beethoven Symphony series. Over the decades, I have listened to dozens of the series. I have purchased a handful of them. This is the set I keep coming back to. The interpretation is great. The precision is there. The recording is superb. Even the price is right. Not much more that I could ask for!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An honest and revelatory account, but some flaws, November 14, 2002

By	sphaerenklang "stringph - at - gmail" (UK) - See all my reviews

Harnoncourt has a reputation for some strangely unorthodox interpretations of the classics, but this isn't one of those recordings that leaves you thinking "why did he do that?". The main difference from the days of Karajan and Klemperer is the clarity of texture: the strings, while audible, do not thickly dominate, and such things as the offbeat woodwind chords in the last movement of the 7th come through easily. The tempos are on the fast side, but not excessively so - suggesting athleticism rather than caffeine- or dogma-fuelled mania. Thankfully, swifter tempos and lighter timbres do not go hand in hand with undernourished tone or short-winded phrasing - Harnoncourt is not throwing the baby of melody out with the bathwater of portentousness. For example, in the slow movement of the 4th the dotted rhythms are lively almost to the point of perkiness, but the melody is a long-phrased legato cantabile. There is also force and power from the brass and timpani where it is needed, showing that Beethoven's climaxes don't need to be underpowered with a small orchestra.

The reservations I have are on the first and second movements of the 7th: as with 95% of conductors, Harnoncourt can't get the strings to keep the triple dotted rhythm "up" during the Vivace development section, and it ends up limping rather than bounding - the "little" notes should have been lighter. But I haven't heard a performance where this is done right - perhaps Toscanini? The theme of the famous A minor "slow" movement (actually Allegretto) is extremely quiet, virtually inaudible without adjusting the volume control - ppp rather than the p that Beethoven marked. This is the only disturbing idiosyncracy in a bracing and rewarding disc.