Beethoven 250 | box

The albums present the music of the youngest Viennese classical composer in very different versions – genre- and performers-wise.

The first CD, released by Sony Music, contains Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D minor, recorded by one of the leading European chamber orchestras – Kammerorchester Basel – and the NFM Choir conducted by maestro Giovanni Antonini. This is the last album released as part of a series presenting the complete Beethoven symphonies conducted by this artist.

The next CD, recorded by the NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra conducted by Ernst Kovacic, provides a rare opportunity to get acquainted with both creative beginnings and peaks of mature compositional art. The album contains two early works: Violin Concerto in C major by Ludwig van Beethoven and Ten Waltzes for String Orchestra by Arnold Schoenberg, works that were almost unperformed until their creators were later recognised as the authors of significant and quite radical musical innovations (appropriate to their era). Beethoven’s late, long-misunderstood work, the Grosse Fuge Op. 133, already foreshadows such artists as Bartók and the compositional techniques of the Second Viennese School, centred around Schoenberg. Both composers can be described with the word ‘genius’, and members of a romantic cult that begins with Beethoven and gradually ends with Schoenberg.

The third CD in the set is an extremely intimate one, containing chamber works by Beethoven – undoubtedly among the most important compositional achievements in the history of music. These are the sonatas from opus 5, and variations performed by cellist Jarosław Thiel and pianist Katarzyna Drogosz on copies of period instruments in a historically informed performance style.

1. Beethoven | Symphony 960 zł

We present an album released by Sony Music, containing Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D minor, performed by one of the leading European chamber orchestras – Kammerorchester Basel – and the NFM Choir conducted by maestro Giovanni Antonini. This is the last album released as part of the series presenting the complete Beethoven symphonies.

Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125

Performers:

Giovanni Antonini – conductor

Kammerorchester Basel

Regula Mühlemann – soprano

Marie-Claude Chappuis – mezzo-soprano

Maximilian Schmitt – tenor

Thomas E. Bauer – baritone

NFM Choir

2. Beethoven / Schoenberg, ACD 145, NFM 2

Performers:

Ernst Kovacic – conductor, violin

NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra

Programme:

1. van Beethoven Violin Concerto in C major,WoO 5, Grosse Fuge in B Flat Major, Op. 133
2. Schoenberg Ten Waltzes for String Orchestra

This recording provides a rare opportunity to compare the creative beginnings and peaks of mature compositional art. Two early works by Beethoven and Schoenberg were almost unperformed until the composers were later recognised as creators of significant and quite radical musical innovations (appropriate for their era). On the other hand, Beethoven’s late, long-misunderstood work, the Grosse Fuge Op. 133 (isolated among three string quartets dedicated to the Russian prince Nikolai Golitsyn) already foreshadows such artists as Bartók and the compositional techniques of the Second Viennese School, centred around Schoenberg. Although isolated, it is compositionally connected with Op. 132 (A minor), as well as Op. 130 (B flat major), of which it was originally the finale. It is no exaggeration to say that both composers fall into the category of genius, and part of a romantic cult that begins with Beethoven and gradually ends with Schoenberg.

3. Beethoven Sonatas, ACD 225, NFM 33 37 zł

Programme:

1. van Beethoven Cello Sonatas, 5, 12 Variations,WoO 45

Performers:

Jarosław Thiel, Katarzyna Drogosz

The chamber works of Ludwig van Beethoven are undoubtedly among the most important compositional achievements in the history of music. This makes it particularly surprising that in Polish phonography we find extremely few recordings devoted to this repertoire by local artists. The album of Beethoven’s sonatas from opus 5 by cellist Jarosław Thiel and pianist Katarzyna Drogosz goes some way towards filling this gap. The recording process of these sonatas was also unusual due to its pioneering nature – the artists played them on copies of period instruments in a historically informed performance style, which in the case of the classical repertoire is still unique on our recording market.