BEETHOVEN L.v. SYMPHONIES Nos.1-9 / CPO / P.Kletzki (6CD)

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

CD 1

Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21 (1800) 25:38

1. I. Adagio molto - Allegro con brio 9:32

2. II. Andante cantabile con moto 6:25

3. III. Menuetto 3:46

4. IV. Adagio - Allegro molto e vivace 5:45

Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 36 (1801-02) 33:38

5. I. Adagio molto - Allegro con brio 12:32

6. II. Larghetto 10:50

7. III. Scherzo. Allegro 3:57

8. IV. Allegro molto 6:10

CD 2

Symphony No. 3, "Eroica" in E fl at major, Op. 55 (1803) 47:42

1. I. Allegro con brio 14:15

2. II. Marcia funebre 15:18

3. III. Scherzo. Allegro vivace 6:03

4. IV. Finale. Allegro molto 12:01

5. Egmont. Incidental music to Goethe's tragedy - Overture, Op. 84 (1810) 8:45

CD 3

Symphony No. 4 in B fl at major, Op. 60 (1806) 33:12

1. I. Adagio - Allegro vivace 9:30

2. II. Adagio 10:22

3. III. Allegro vivace 6:07

4. IV. Allegro ma non troppo 7:03

Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67 (1807) 32:16

5. I. Allegro con brio 7:54

6. II. Andante con moto 9:54

7. III. Allegro (attacca) 5:38

8. IV. Allegro 8:40

CD 4

Symphony No. 6, "Pastoral" in F major, Op. 68 (1808) 43:54

1. I. Awakening of cheerful feelings upon arrival in the country (Allegro ma non troppo)12:01

2. II. Scene by the brook (Andante molto mosso) 12:39

3. III. Merry gathering of country folk (Allegro) 5:49

4. IV. Thunderstorm (Allegro) 4:01

5. V. Happy and thankful feelings after the storm (Allegretto) 9:15

6. Coriolan. Overture to Collins' play, Op. 62 (1807) 8:13

CD 5

Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92 (1812) 36:33

1. I. Poco sostenuto - Vivace 12:21

2. II. Allegretto 8:46

3. III. Presto 7:59

4. IV. Allegro con brio 7:14

Symphony No. 8 in F major, Op. 93 (1812) 26:02

5. I. Allegro vivace e con brio 9:31

6. II. Allegretto scherzando 3:47

7. III. Tempo di menuetto 5:04

8. IV. Allegro vivace 7:29

CD 6

Symphony No. 9, "Choral" in D minor, Op. 125 (1822-24)

with final chorus on Friedrich Schiller's Ode to Joy 67:46

1. I. Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso 16:08

2. II. Molto vivace 11:33

3. III. Adagio molto e cantabile - Andante moderato 14:46

4. IV. Presto - Allegro assai - Rezitativo: "O Freunde, nicht diese Töne!" 25:01

Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, conductor: Paul Kletzki

Ingeborg Wenglor - soprano, Annelies Burmeister - alto, Martin Ritzmann - tenor, Rolf Kühne - bass, Prague Philharmonic Choir / choir master: Josef Veselka (Symphony No. 9)

Beethoven's symphonies are among the cornerstones of the symphonic repertoire. They bear witness to the composer's remarkable journey from airy Classicism to the peerless idiom he had developed on the threshold of the Romantic epoch. Those who have taken up the challenge to record the complete cycle include the Polish-born conductor Paul Kletzki, who gained great renown after the war, primarily in America. He was the principal conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra for a year and after his debut in Philadelphia went on to conduct the leading American and European orchestras. This remarkable complete recording of Beethoven's symphonies was made during Kletzki's performances with the Czech Philharmonic in 1967, during the orchestra's golden age under the chief conductor Karel Ančerl.

This gem of the Supraphon archives thoroughly deserves the current reedition in remastered form owing to its freshness and expressive depth.

(Supraphon 2011)