Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 & Choral Fantasy

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Historically oriented performances of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, have not been common, perhaps because Beethoven was clearly aiming toward a monumental sound in the work and would gladly have discarded the limitations of the instruments of his own time if he could have. In the Ninth, the trend has been to observe Beethoven's metronome markings, despite mounting evidence that they were inaccurate. That's what happens in this release by the Freiburg Barockorchester under Pablo Heras-Casado; the opening movement of the Ninth is blisteringly fast and a bit inexpressive, although the finale is exciting. Heras-Casado actually takes the Scherzo a bit slower than is usual in these readings. There's much to recommend here, beginning with the reading of the Choral Fantasy, Op. 80, that is appended on a second CD. In the hands of fortepianist Kristian Bezuidenhout, the work truly is a fantasy: his opening piano section is rhythmically flexible, and the winds add details that come out as magical. The work's links to the Symphony No. 9 emerge clearly, beyond the simple resemblance of the main tunes, and the Zürcher Sing-Akademie choir gives a muscular finale with a group of only moderate size. In the symphony, however, the prominence given the winds and brass tends to make the strings recede into the background. In a work with a lot of trombone, this is almost feasible, but there are moments when one expects strings and barely hears them. It's not clear whether this is a performance or an engineering issue; Heras-Casado's string section is of adequate size. This album may be recommended to those intrigued by the possibilities of historically oriented performances in Beethoven's music.

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