Beethoven Symphonies 1-9 (London Classical Players) - Sir Roger Norrington

...of Haydn, Brahms and Sibelius. Beethoven was born in turbulent times when the common people's dissatisfaction toward the ruling monarchs in Europe was reaching new heights which finally culminated in the French Revolution in 1789. Against this came Beethoven, who was born into a family of musicians in Bonn in 1770. His father wanted to coin in on the child prodigy market created by Mozart whose father had exploited his genius in a similar way. But ...
...increasing alcoholism. This basically made Beethoven the head of the family, with him having to support his two brothers, Johann and Carl. When Mozart died in 1791 it was hoped that Beethoven might be able to become his heir and was therefore sent to study with Haydn. However, the older master's musical style didn't really suit Beethoven and he later said that he didn't learn anything from Haydn. In the late 1790s he toured extensively as a piano ...

berlioz 16.04.2005 · Read full review
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Review of Beethoven Symphonies 1-9 (London Classical Players) - Sir Roger Norrington

...line with the traditions that Beethoven himself would have been familiar with. The metronome markings from when his deafness prevented him from hearing the music too properly conduct a performance of a work. The 18th and 19th century orchestra was changing during this period. It had come to fruition under such masters as Haydn and Mozart. The elements need to be not just a beautiful sound but a dynamic dialog between the sections. The new Romantic ...
...these recordings is to make Beethoven NEW. We will all be familiar with the usual recordings and performances of the works of Beethoven. But in this set we have a new and vibrant interpretation that is closer to the music that would have been heard if we had have been fortunate to have attended one of the original performances. The works would have been played in a mixed programme of both vocal and instrumental works. This allowed for a rich cross ...

Coloneljohn 04.12.2004 · Read full review
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Review of Beethoven Symphonies 1-9 (London Classical Players) - Sir Roger Norrington