Bruno Walter conducts the complete Beethoven Symphonies

Advantages: A work that changed the way we look at symphonies
Disadvantages: none whatsoever

...contemplated suicide, so emotionally expressed in the so-called "Heiligenstadt Testament" in 1802. But Beethoven lived on and, because of the isolation he felt due to his condition and his natural impulsiveness, he managed to evolve in a completely original way. His Second Symphony written at that time already shows his fiery temper in its early form. As the First Symphony was still firmly rooted in the accepted Classical mold of Haydn, the Second caused wondering and even fear among the people that first heard it (one critic compared it to a dragon that refuses to die). With this in mind, one really can only wonder at what Beethoven's next symphony must have felt like for the audiences of the time (after all that kind of a sensation can hardly be expected of us today). Beethoven had for some time been interested in Napoleon, whom he saw as a great... Read review

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Advantages: Outstanding music on period instruments
Disadvantages: Swaping C.D'S in music player.

...The 9 symphonies by Ludwig Van Beethoven. (1770 - 1827) Performed by The London Classical Players. Conducted by Sir Roger Norrington. With the Schutz choir of London. Not everybody likes classical music. Even those who do, do not all like the same things. This boxed set of CD's if different from previous recordings. Firstly, it is played on period instruments. This is not to everybody’s taste. These instruments are not like today’s instruments. For instance, the violin has a cleaner but more plaintive tone. The woodwinds each has a colour and clarity of tone that blends to a harmonious whole. The timpani, those smaller drums, are hit with hard sticks more reminiscent of military drum sounds. The horn section has a different feel to it. Considering the lapse of some 184 years, it would be strange if the sounds produced were... Read review

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Advantages: The idee fixe. Unique and contrasting.
Disadvantages: None whatsoever.

...Composed by Hector Belioz Performed by Royal Philharmonic Orchestra) Conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras Label Royal Philharmonic Price £12.99 Available in most good music stores Berlioz was born in Lyons in 1803 and spent most of his working life in Paris. Belioz used his musical idol Beethoven as his role model when composing his Symphony Fantastique. He was obsessed by the Irish actress Harriet Smithson. He wrote her dozens of letters to which she never replied. Years later, she they did meet and they eventually married though not successfully. Berlioz decided to express his experiences through music. Using Beethoven's handling of the symphony, Berlioz set about to construct a a symphony that retained many of the traditional elements yet pushed it towards a new direction. Symphonie Fantastique has five movements each detailing... Read review

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