# Best German period performance of the Beethoven complete symphony cycle



## Pmartel63 (Dec 9, 2020)

Hi everyone;

I have 2 complete periond performances of the Beethoven symphonies. Nimbus Hanover Band cycle and Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra (Canadian)

I can't help but wonder what would be the best periodGerman performance of the cycle and something fairly recent

I know it's all subjective nyt curious as to what you would recommend


----------



## RobertJTh (Sep 19, 2021)

Harnoncourt, probably?


----------



## Kreisler jr (Apr 21, 2021)

I wonder if there is anything in the strict sense. Harnoncourt was Austrian, the European CO multinational (and mostly modern instruments). And this recordings is over 30 years old.
Paavo Järvi with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie is also on modern instruments but HIP influenced.


----------



## Kiki (Aug 15, 2018)

The closest I can think of is *Harmonia Mundi's recent Beethoven Alive 2020/2027 edition*, which includes, as a part of the edition, a complete symphony cycle on 7 individual CDs, with which the playing duty is shared among the *Freiburger Barockorchester*, the *Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin* (both German), and *Les Siècles* (French!), with conductors *Bernhard Forck*, *Gottfried von der Goltz* (both German), *François-Xavier Roth* (French) and *Pablo Heras-Casado* (Spanish). In my opinion, the cycle is a mixed bag of performances, but none of them is bad.


----------



## feierlich (3 mo ago)

Among the 20/27 edition, I particularly love Casado's ninth. It will be my favourite recording of the work for a very long time.


----------



## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

Kiki said:


> The closest I can think of is *Harmonia Mundi's recent Beethoven Alive 2020/2027 edition*, which includes, as a part of the edition, a complete symphony cycle on 7 individual CDs, with which the playing duty is shared among the *Freiburger Barockorchester*, the *Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin* (both German), and *Les Siècles* (French!), with conductors *Bernhard Forck*, *Gottfried von der Goltz* (both German), *François-Xavier Roth* (French) and *Pablo Heras-Casado* (Spanish). In my opinion, the cycle is a mixed bag of performances, but none of them is bad.


Surprisingly I've yet to hear that cycle. I'm slipping, Kiki!


----------



## Kiki (Aug 15, 2018)

feierlich said:


> Among the 20/27 edition, I particularly love Casado's ninth. It will be my favourite recording of the work for a very long time.


Honestly, the Ninth has never been a favourite of mine, but I will always be happy to sit through Hera-Casado's Ninth. On a separate note, If Currentzis should decide to record it, it could probably be just as stunning, as those snippets of it played in his Covid lockdown documentary (link) has shown.



Merl said:


> Surprisingly I've yet to hear that cycle. I'm slipping, Kiki!


I am shocked! ... but hold on, my good sir, please don't "slip", because the consequences could be serious, especially since most people over 50 lack calcium in their bones.


----------



## Pmartel63 (Dec 9, 2020)

Kiki said:


> Honestly, the Ninth has never been a favourite of mine, but I will always be happy to sit through Hera-Casado's Ninth. On a separate note, If Currentzis should decide to record it, it could probably be just as stunning, as those snippets of it played in his Covid lockdown documentary (link) has shown.
> 
> 
> 
> I am shocked! ... but hold on, my good sir, please don't "slip", because the consequences could be serious, especially since most people over 50 lack calcium in their bones.


I had the opportunity to hear it live by our Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Chir at Kohnee Hall here in Toronto, directed by Bruno Weil 

Something that should truly be experienced live by a good group as honestly I was in tears which I never exepcted


----------



## haziz (Sep 15, 2017)

May I ask why specifically German? IMHO Beethoven has been adopted almost universally, to the point that I am not sure any one culture or orchestra has a unique insight into playing his music.


----------



## Kreisler jr (Apr 21, 2021)

The irony seems that despite some important German (like around the Musikhochschule Cologne) or German-speaking (at the Schola cantorum basiliensis and Harnoncourt in Vienna) pioneers of period practice in baroque and older music, the general period practice approach and especially when extended to Beethoven was "against" the "German tradition". I.e. "anti-Furtwängler" in a nutshell, against broad tempi, rubato, "meaning", "depth" etc.
So maybe it is not accidental that there has not really been much of German Beethoven in period practice.


----------



## Pmartel63 (Dec 9, 2020)

haziz said:


> May I ask why specifically German? IMHO Beethoven has been adopted almost universally, to the point that I am not sure any one culture or orchestra has a unique insight into playing his music.


It's more for interpretaion than anything, I DO find that each country has it's own unique style if that makes sense . The 2 sets I own Nimbus hanover Band and the Canadian Tafelmusik have distinctive styles so just curious as to what's out there, again if that makes sense


----------



## feierlich (3 mo ago)

Kiki said:


> If Currentzis should decide to record it, it could probably be just as stunning


Absolutely agree! This year a recording of a live concert performance of the ninth by Currentzis was released, and it was already almost perfect. He recorded 5 and 7 on Sony Classical, and I very much look forward to future releases.


----------



## Kiki (Aug 15, 2018)

feierlich said:


> Absolutely agree! This year a recording of a live concert performance of the ninth by Currentzis was released, and it was already almost perfect. He recorded 5 and 7 on Sony Classical, and I very much look forward to future releases.


I suppose you're referring to the concert in Athens from earlier this year that was made available briefly on Arte Concert. (Still on youtube unofficially) That is a great 9th. Sound quality of the video is poor of course, but I am still very impressed particularly with the perpetual pulse of the slow movement.

P.S. Just a thought, and to stay with the spirit of this thread, does the Currentzis/MusicAeterna combo sound Russian or Greek? I think it sounds uniquely Currentzis.


----------

