Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 6 "Pastoral"

DSD recorded

Hybrid/SACD - playable on all compact disc players

Gramophone Magazine Editor's Choice - Awards Issue 2009

"The high resolution sound on this PentaTone SACD is exemplary. The soundstage is wide and deep with a clarity and presence that nearly duplicates a live performance. The strings and woodwinds have a naturalness of tone that complements Herreweghe's lovely interpretation of these two superb symphonies."
(AudAud.com Oct 2009 Five stars)

The overblown language his contemporaries tended to use to describe him, turned Ludwig van Beethoven - during his lifetime already - into one of the most enigmatic artists ever to have lived. After his death, innumerable others - at times consciously, yet often subconsciously - would nourish the 'Beethoven myth' with equally admiring phrases, songs of praise and interpretations. In particular, Richard Wagner's statement with regard to the 'favourable' influence of Beethoven's deafness on his creative urge was seen as a safe-conduct to read into Beethoven's life an artistically justified story of suffering. Surrounding all fiction, there is a smattering of truth. Uncertainty with regard to his religious beliefs, the drama of the loss of his 'immortal beloved', the painful battle for the custody of his nephew Karl, thoughts of suicide, problems with composing, hearing disorders and financial worries: Beethoven went through all of this. In other words, it did not take long for people to come up with the romantic myth of the unworldly grumbler, who used his personal agony as a creative stimulus.