Beethoven - Symphony 7 [Bruggen-Orchestra Of The Eighteenth Century]
Here's a disc that i acquired recently, and giving it its first spin, it's a historically informed reading, on period instruments, and that means that the string tone can sound rather thin and sinewy, instead of warm and full, but it also reveals the brass / woodwind / percussion more, it takes some getting used to, but it's also good to hear something in a fresh way, and these are good performances.
Frans Bruggen was Dutch [1934-2014], i didn't know he had died, he was 80, he recorded this disc in 1988, the front cover shows nine individual shots [by Fernando Van Teylingen], of members of the orchestra and Bruggen, nicely laid out, and the lettering inbetween is excellent.
On this listen it was the wonderful first movement that i was most impressed by, it's in the key of A Major, like i said it's a period performance, and a live recording too, the recording is bright, so fortes can sound a bit harsh, but also really quite alive, Bruggen doesn't wallow in warmth and tone, but rather brings out more of the rhythms in Beethoven, the timpani is hard and loud, and it gives you a good idea how Beethoven must have heard it on its first performance, there's a long Poco Sostenuto introduction, and there's this flute bridge to the Vivace [4:19-4:46], and then the whole thing explodes [4:46+ & 7:11+], full of brass and timpani, it's a lovely cacophony of sound, it's good to hear the 'incessantness' of this movement, it keeps moving forward, i think Bruggen uses the exposition repeat, of course this makes it nearly 15 minutes long, near the end Beethoven has a sort of respite, where he lets the woodwind have some nice pleasant sweet things to say [11:32-12:02], at the end the brass really make themselves heard [14:09-14:45], a real triumph.
Here's Bruggen playing this Symphony on YouTube.
Frans Bruggen was Dutch [1934-2014], i didn't know he had died, he was 80, he recorded this disc in 1988, the front cover shows nine individual shots [by Fernando Van Teylingen], of members of the orchestra and Bruggen, nicely laid out, and the lettering inbetween is excellent.
On this listen it was the wonderful first movement that i was most impressed by, it's in the key of A Major, like i said it's a period performance, and a live recording too, the recording is bright, so fortes can sound a bit harsh, but also really quite alive, Bruggen doesn't wallow in warmth and tone, but rather brings out more of the rhythms in Beethoven, the timpani is hard and loud, and it gives you a good idea how Beethoven must have heard it on its first performance, there's a long Poco Sostenuto introduction, and there's this flute bridge to the Vivace [4:19-4:46], and then the whole thing explodes [4:46+ & 7:11+], full of brass and timpani, it's a lovely cacophony of sound, it's good to hear the 'incessantness' of this movement, it keeps moving forward, i think Bruggen uses the exposition repeat, of course this makes it nearly 15 minutes long, near the end Beethoven has a sort of respite, where he lets the woodwind have some nice pleasant sweet things to say [11:32-12:02], at the end the brass really make themselves heard [14:09-14:45], a real triumph.
Here's Bruggen playing this Symphony on YouTube.
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