Beethoven: The Symphonies

Originally planned for April 2020 to celebrate Beethoven's 250th birthday, the project "Beethoven: The Symphonies" is the third collaboration between Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the COE, having already performed and recorded complete Schumann and Mendelssohn cycles together in 2014 and 2017.

For the symphony cycle, the now complete performance material with the score of the "New Beethoven Complete Edition" was used. Especially in the 9th Symphony, the difference can literally be heard and experienced, as Beethoven's original and only recently rediscovered contrabassoon part is used for the first time.

The recording will also be the COE's first complete Beethoven cycle since the groundbreaking CD with Nikolaus Harnoncourt in the 1990s.

Yannick Nézet-Séguin has just won his first-ever Grammy for "Best Orchestral Performance" for his recording of Florence Price's Symphonies Nos. 1 and 3 with the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Tracklist:

CD 1 73:27

Symphony No. 1 in C major op. 21

Symphonie Nr. 1 C-Dur

1 1. Adagio molto – Allegro con brio 8:59

2 2. Andante cantabile con moto 7:17

3 3. Menuetto. Allegro molto e vivace 3:57

4 4. Finale. Adagio – Allegro molto e vivace 5:26

Symphony No. 3 in E flat major “Eroica” op. 55

Symphonie Nr. 3 Es-Dur ≫Sinfonia Eroica≪

5 1. Allegro con brio 16:20

6 2. Marcia funebre. Adagio assai 14:48

7 3. Scherzo. Allegro vivace 5:28

8 4. Finale. Allegro molto 11:10

CD 2 68:40

Symphony No. 6 in F major “Pastoral Symphony, or

Recollections of Country Life. More an Expression of

Feeling Than Painting” op. 68

Symphonie Nr. 6 F-Dur ≫Pastoral-Symphonie oder Erinnerung an das

Landleben. Mehr Ausdruck der Empfindung als Malerei≪

1 1. Angenehme, heitere Empfindungen, welche bei der Ankunft 11:53

auf dem Lande im Menschen erwachen. Allegro ma non troppo

Pleasant, Cheerful Feelings Awakened in a Person on Arriving in the Country

2 2. Szene am Bach. Andante molto moto 12:23

Scene by the Brook

3 3. Lustiges Zusammensein der Landleute. Allegro – attacca 5:05

Merry Gathering of Country Folk

4 4. Donner, Sturm. Allegro – attacca 3:42

Thunderstorm

5 5. Hirtengesang. Wohltatige, mit Dank an die Gottheit 9:09

verbundene Gefuhle nach dem Sturm. Allegretto

Shepherd’s song. Happy and Thankful Feelings to the Deity

after the Storm

Symphony No. 8 in F major op. 93

Symphonie Nr. 8 F-Dur

6 1. Allegro vivace e con brio 9:09

7 2. Allegretto scherzando 3:41

8 3. Tempo di Menuetto 6:00

9 4. Allegro vivace 7:36

CD 3 65:12

Symphony No. 2 in D major op. 36

Symphonie Nr. 2 D-Dur

1 1. Adagio molto – Allegro con brio 11:49

2 2. Larghetto 9:58

3 3. Scherzo. Allegro 4:29

4 4. Allegro molto 6:16

- 4 - - 5 –

Symphony No. 5 in C minor op. 67

Symphonie Nr. 5 c-Moll

5 1. Allegro con brio 7:00

6 2. Andante con moto 9:22

7 3. Allegro – attacca 5:23

8 4. Allegro 10:53

CD 4 72:29

Symphony No. 4 in B flat major op. 60

Symphonie Nr. 4 B-Dur

1 1. Adagio – Allegro vivace 11:36

2 2. Adagio 9:23

3 3. Allegro molto e vivace 5:46

4 4. Allegro ma non troppo 6:48

Symphony No. 7 in A major op. 92

Symphonie Nr. 7 A-Dur

5 1. Poco sostenuto – Vivace 13:27

6 2. Allegretto 8:54

7 3. Presto 8:10

8 4. Allegro con brio 8:21

CD 5 67:48

Symphony No. 9 in D minor op. 125

Symphonie Nr. 9 d-Moll

1 1. Allegro ma non troppo e un poco maestoso 15:33

2 2. Molto vivace 12:59

3 3. Adagio molto e Cantabile 15:36

4 4. Presto – 2:36

5 Allegro assai – 3:49

Final Chorus on Schiller’s To Joy

Schlusschor uber Schillers An die Freude

6 Presto – Recitativo: “O Freunde! nicht diese Tone!” 3:24

Allegro assai: “Freude, schoner Gotter Funken” –

7 Allegro assai vivace. alla Marcia: “Froh, wie seine Sonnen fliegen” 3:51

8 Andante maestoso: “Seyd umschlungen Millionen!” 3:34

9 Allegro energico e sempre ben marcato: 2:21

“Freude, schoner Gotter Funken”

10 Allegro ma non tanto: “Freude, Tochter aus Elysium” 2:19

11 Poco Allegro – Prestissimo: “Seyd umschlungen Millionen!” 1:42