Leonard Bernstein, WP Beethoven. 9 Symphonies (1980) [japan 2015] (flac 24 96)

Leonard Bernstein conducts the Wiener Philharmoniker for these legendary recordings from 1977-1979 of Ludwig van Beethoven's 9 Symphonies in this Limited Edition SACDs set. A set that in the realism of its engineering, in the poised polished execution of the Vienna Philharmonic, and in the controlled, tasteful vigor of Bernstein's conducting sets standards of Beethoven playing. Despite the age the pairing of Bernstein and the VPO was always quite special and the set has stood the test of time remarkably well, remaining an excellent choice for anybody looking for a Beethoven symphony cycle.

Bernstein at 100 is a two-year global celebration of the 20th century cultural giant officially commencing on 22 September 2017. This remastered Beethoven Symphonies is the first product in DG’s suite of Bernstein releases to mark the occasion.

Joe Hisaishi conducts Beethoven. Featuring Symphony No. 1 to 9 on five discs. Performed by the Future Orchestra Classics (Nagano Chamber Orchestra)

This CD is the fruit of the love affair that developed in Paris between Leonard Bernstein and the Orchestre National de France in the 1970s. Beside long-admired studio recordings, featuring Mstislav Rostropovich and Alexis Weissenberg among the soloists, it presents live performances completely new to the catalogue: a 1975 programme to celebrate Ravel’s centenary – with Bernstein himself as soloist in the G major piano concerto – and orchestral suites taken from two of Bernstein’s most celebrated and brilliant works, both infused with jazz: the film score On the Waterfront and the landmark Broadway musical West Side Story.

Andris Nelsons has joined forces with the Wiener Philharmoniker to record Ludwig van Beethoven’s nine symphonies for Deutsche Grammophon. The release of their new album on 4 October 2019 will mark the start of the Yellow Label’s celebration of the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth next year. The Nelsons Beethoven cycle is presented in a specially commissioned deluxe box featuring the nine works on five CDs and a single Blu-ray Audio disc in TrueHD sound quality.

Beethoven‘s symphonies pose without any doubt one of the greatest artistic challenges to every conductor. Of the countless questions about what an authentic interpretation means, I am addressing only one here, namely the problem of Beethoven’s metronome markings. As we know, the first metronomes were built in Vienna during Beethoven’s lifetime and he did then give metronome markings to his pieces (retrospectively in most cases).

With many of the Beethoven 250 anniversary events sadly cancelled, the great man’s genius can still be celebrated thanks to the many new recordings of his works appearing during 2020.

Marek Janowski presents Schumann: Complete Symphonies, a comprehensive collection recorded together with the Dresdner Philharmonie. After a fruitful decade as a composer for piano and voice, Schumann then began writing symphonic works, marking a new phase in his life. Recorded between 2021 and 2023, Janowski interprets Schumann’s symphonies with great vitality and intensity in this release that celebrates the culmination of his appointment as chief conductor with the orchestra.