On first acquaintance, a listener familiar only with the “popular” Beethoven symphonies would hardly recognize Symphony No. 1 as a work by the same composer (instead probably thinking of Haydn, or perhaps Mozart). Yet Jan Willem de Vriend and the Netherlands Symphony succeed in bringing out the nascent “Beethovenian” elements of the score–especially in the finale (which, interestingly, de Vriend takes slower than you would expect from his quick tempos in the first movement and scherzo). De Vriend achieves this by emphasizing the music’s dynamic contrasts, underlined by pointed and powerful timpani playing.
Winds and brass are also prominent (including “watery” sounding horns), which is all to the good. However, the period-styled strings slightly annoy in Symphony No. 5, where the players’ apparent inability to sustain long notes undercuts some of Beethoven’s effects–most notably the dramatic held G at the end of the first statement. Here it wimps out quickly, requiring de Vriend to rush to the next phrase.
But this is the only flaw in an otherwise enthralling performance, a rendition that, especially in juxtaposition to the First symphony, reveals the work’s revolutionary nature. The first movement blazes, the Andante glides, the scherzo stalks, and the finale becomes a euphoric release of all the previously accumulated tension. The recording’s narrow-focused acoustic (albeit with a solid sense of depth) projects the power of the playing. Despite the above concerns, this is a Beethoven symphony disc that had every good reason to be made. You really should hear it. [4/14/2011]
