Rattle Symphonies

This CD, recorded live, will leave you smiling with delight and amazement. These symphonies are among Haydn's greatest; written in 1788-89, they exhibit every facet of his technical skill, inspired inventiveness, and emotional range. At the height of his mature mastery, he experimented with new forms, daring modulations and key changes, and breathtaking swings of mood and character. One of his fingerprints is the alternation between serene major and somber minor, especially in his variations; but he has surprises in store everywhere, as solemnity gives way to sprightliness, elegance to rusticity, tragedy to mischievous humor.

This is the latest and, they tell us, the last of EMI’s Simon Rattle Edition, gathering together the conductor’s complete forays into certain composers and repertoire. As with any such project the sets hitherto released have contained both treasures and duds. Even though not everything here is perfect, this set sends the series out on a high with his complete Vienna recording of the Beethoven symphonies.

“For Mahler,” Sir Simon Rattle has said, "the symphony is where you can tell the most important truths.” The composer’s works have been crucial to his career – indeed, it was the epic Symphony No. 2 that first inspired him to become a musician. Spanning nearly two decades, these recordings of the complete symphonies, including Deryck Cooke’s completion of No. 10, were made with the two ensembles most closely identified with Rattle’s name: the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the Berliner Philharmoniker.

“For Mahler,” Sir Simon Rattle has said, "the symphony is where you can tell the most important truths.” The composer’s works have been crucial to his career – indeed, it was the epic Symphony No. 2 that first inspired him to become a musician. Spanning nearly two decades, these recordings of the complete symphonies, including Deryck Cooke’s completion of No. 10, were made with the two ensembles most closely identified with Rattle’s name: the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the Berliner Philharmoniker.

From the moment he first raised the baton as principal conductor of the Berliner Philharmoniker in 2002, Sir Simon Rattle brought electrifying energy and a unique vision to the traditions established under his illustrious German predecessors, Karajan and Abbado. Renowned as one of the finest orchestras in the world, the Berliner Philharmoniker have thrived for 15 years under the guidance of the British maestro, its deep understanding of the great Germanic masterpieces enriched by new directions and broader musical horizons. The Rhythm & Colours box set celebrates this long and fruitful partnership with seven bestsellers and prize-winning Berlin Philharmoniker albums from the Rattle years. From monumental Mahler to the explosive rhythms of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring and Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana; from the sensual colours of Debussy to the soaring anthems of The Planets by Rattle’s countryman Gustav Holst, Rhythm & Colours showcases the very best of Rattle’s legacy in Berlin.

Recordings of all the Beethoven symphonies with their chief conductor are always a milestone in the artistic work of the Berliner Philharmoniker. So it was with Herbert von Karajan and Claudio Abbado, and expectations are correspondingly high for this cycle conducted by Sir Simon Rattle. Where does the special status of these symphonies come from? Simon Rattle has an explanation: “One of the things Beethoven does is to give you a mirror into yourself – where you are now as a musician.” In fact, this music contains such a wealth of extreme emotions and brilliant compositional ideas that reveal the qualities of the orchestra and its conductor as if under a magnifying glass.