Philippe Herreweghe, Royal Flemish Philharmonic - Beethoven: The 9 Symphonies (2011) (5 CDs)

This disc represents Volume 2 of a set of the complete Beethoven symphonies currently in progress (the first volume, on the Talent label, included Symphonies 4 and 7 and was reviewed by Colin Anderson in 29:2). In a clumsily translated note Herreweghe refers to “nature” trumpets and “Baroque kettle drums with modern tuning”; these would appear to be the only concessions to period practice—by all accounts, the Royal Flemish orchestra employs modern instruments. This series would appear, then, to be comparable to the latest set conducted by Roger Norrington, with the orchestra of the Stuttgart Radio, on Hänssler.

Tracklist:
CD1 - Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3
Symphony No. 1 in C, Op. 21
01. I. Adagio molto - Allegro con brio [0:09:05.18]
02. II. Andante cantabile con moto [0:06:51.42]
03. III. Menuetto - Trio (Allegro molto e vivace) [0:03:34.62]
04. IV. Finale: Adagio - Allegro molto e vivace [0:05:52.28]

Symphony No. 3 in E flat, Op. 55, 'Eroica'
05. I. Allegro con brio [0:16:22.05]
06. II. Marcia funebre (Adagio assai) [0:14:03.22]
07. III. Scherzo (Allegro vivace) [0:05:54.48]
08. IV. Finale: Allegro molto [0:11:09.00]

CD2 - Symphonies Nos. 2 & 6
Symphony No. 2 in D, Op. 36
01. I. Adagio molto - Allegro con brio [0:11:49.70]
02. II. Larghetto [0:09:50.74]
03. III. Scherzo (Allegro) [0:03:42.08]
04. IV. Allegro molto [0:06:27.64]

Symphony No. 6 in F, Op. 68, 'Pastoral'
05. I. Allegro, ma non troppo [0:10:39.73]
06. II. Andante molto mosso [0:12:29.03]
07. III. Allegro [0:04:58.61]
08. IV. Allegro [0:03:45.66]
09. V. Allegretto [0:09:12.31]

CD3 - Symphonies Nos. 4 & 7
Symphony No. 4 in B flat, Op. 60
01. I. Adagio - Allegro vivace [0:11:26.73]
02. II. Adagio [0:09:22.71]
03. III. Allegro vivace [0:05:44.65]
04. IV. Allegro ma non troppo [0:06:54.16]

Symphony No. 7 in A, Op. 92
05. I. Poco sostenuto - Vivace [0:14:11.39]
06. II. Allegretto [0:08:48.18]
07. III. Presto [0:09:38.58]
08. IV. Allegro con brio [0:09:32.36]

CD4 - Symphonies Nos. 5 & 8
Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67
01. I. Allegro con brio [0:06:49.37]
02. II. Andante con moto [0:08:29.38]
03. III. Allegro [0:04:35.66]
04. IV. Allegro [0:10:32.09]

Symphony No. 8 in F, Op. 93
05. I. Allegro vivace e con brio [0:08:34.52]
06. II. Allegretto scherzando [0:03:48.20]
07. III. Tempo di menuetto [0:04:23.27]
08. IV. Allegro vivace [0:07:00.51]

CD5 - Symphony No. 9
Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, 'Choral'
01. I. Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso [0:14:05.51]
02. II. Molto vivace [0:13:18.55]
03. III. Adagio molto e cantabile [0:11:54.31]
04. IV. Finale [0:21:38.25]

Personnel:
Christiane Oelze - soprano
Ingeborg Danz - mezzo-soprano
Christoph Strehl - tenor
David Wilson-Johnson - bass