Search - Ludwig van Beethoven, Christoph von Dohnányi, Cleveland Orchestra :: Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 8

Well done

Ryan Richards | Midland, MI United States | 03/07/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A brilliant recording of these two symphonies. The first movement of the 4th sparkles with an energy I've never heard in it before. So does the finale, with a vivacious tempo augmented by crystal-clear perception of each note. The slow movement is taken up-tempo, as is Dohnanyi's wont, but it's played gently and/or passionately as needed, and the overall effect is quite lovely. The same goes for the 8th, where the C.O. displays an impressive mix of playfulness, power, and romanticism. My complaints would be with the last movement of the 8th, which drags a little (odd, considering the conductor), and the overall sound of the CD--it's a little more muffled than Telarc usually allows. However, these symphonies aren't going to get any better than this. Of all the Beethoven symphonies Dohnanyi recorded with the C.O., only the 5th and 7th are done better than these two are, methinks. Buy this CD."