Beethoven Symphonies and Piano Concertos sets

As is my want on this blog I do sometimes talk about music rather more than on the second blog to the point of having a series of entries I add to.

Beethoven was mentioned here in January 2018 this very week with the mention of older set of recordings reissued  but however good or notable the playing on it was there's no getting away from the improvements in recording in sixty odd years.

Thus I was on the lookout for a really good modern set of his symphonies where upon I found this set recorded between 2004 and 2008 in a inexpensive super audio cd box set by the acclaimed Scandinavia label Bis.

Performing Beethoven is controversial today some with taking issue with any modern instruments preferring period ones and sometimes adopting so-called Historically Informed Performance ideals and those who still hold with the late Victorian "Big Band" style with a lot more players adding more "umph".

This set takes a middle course using modern instruments but in a smaller scale for works whose earlier ones have more in common with Schubert and Mozart's but adding the odd vibrato.

I find this does help to de-clutter the sound not always helped on some older recordings by the acoustics of the venue so you here more of each note being played and here it has a freshness to it I hadn't experienced since buying André Cluyten's symphony cycle on EMI as a boy but with excellent modern sound.

The Pastoral symphony is well done taking a leisurely alert spring stroll through the countryside rather than either a brisk walk as in Herbert von Karajan's 1963 set or sounding 'plodding'. 

This was always the strong point of Cluyten's set for EMI of the same era - he just got it right.

I hadn't got around to doing anything about getting a sacd set of the Piano Concertos bring reliant on my remastered regular DG cds of Wilhelm Kempff's mid 1960's stereo set.

In October of last year Chandos, the Essex, England label issued a new three sacd set by the Swedish Chamber Orchestra with Jean-Efflam Bavouzet playing he piano and directing the orchestra.

I feel a more chamber music style of playing fits these rather poetic works allowing you to focus more on the score following the music and this set received universal praise upon issue  to which I would agree with.

Technically it sounds really clear taking full advantage of what this format can offer and like the other set is in both stereo for regular cd and sacd layers and for those whose equipment can handle it, surround sound on sacd.

These two box sets have provide me with a renewed appreciation of Beethoven's music being hugely enjoyable and should provide me with much pleasure for a long time.

I also got this disc of two of his sonatas's the pianist of the moment,Yevgeny Sudbin.