Beethoven : Symphonies Nos. 5 & 6, "Pastorale"

Album review

The 2006 releases of Beethoven's symphonies on Oehms Classics may not be acclaimed as the greatest recordings ever made of these essential classics, but they certainly are terrific versions, and anyone looking for solid and affordable performances would do well to consider these fine recordings by Stanislaw Skrowaczewski and the Saarbrücken Radio Symphony Orchestra. This disc of Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 in C minor and the Symphony No. 6 in F major, "Pastoral," offers mainstream interpretations that are neither too fast and fussily authentic nor overly reverent and stodgily traditional, but pretty much what listeners of any persuasion might accept as sincerely felt and precisely played renditions. Skrowaczewski has always been noted for his meticulous conducting, so he draws clear and crisply detailed performances from the orchestra, which plays modern instruments with such accuracy and brilliance that it might rival any period ensemble. Beyond matters of performance practice, these symphonies are bold and exciting, and the musicians really dig in to deliver music with maximum impact; whether in the triumphant Finale of the Symphony No. 5, or the storm movement of the "Pastoral," the Saarbrücken Radio Symphony Orchestra is as thrilling as any better-known orchestra. And in the passages that require refinement, such as the Fifth's Andante con moto or the Sixth's Szene am Bach, there are few other ensembles that could be more moving. Oehms' reproduction is spectacular in depth, dynamics, and presence, so these have to be considered among the best-sounding Beethoven symphonies of the year, if not the decade.
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