Gunter Wand’s NDR Beethoven cycle is one of the great ones, and these performances, while not quite the best in the set, will disappoint no one. Judicious tempos, lean and clean textures, and taut rhythms characterize this “Eroica”, which never wears its Classical-period orientation like a hair-shirt, leaving plenty of room for Romantic angst in the funeral march. The Finale also has unusual cogency, and it’s only in the first movement where I might have wished for a bit more impulsiveness. No such reservations apply to the Eighth, however. Wand’s interpretation brims with humor and benefits from his careful attention to bass lines when they get the melody (as at the first-movement recapitulation). The recording also enjoys terrific sonics. If you don’t have the complete set and don’t want it, you can certainly get this disc with confidence.
