The least famous of Beethoven's symphonies? Yet these two works are genuine tours de force: the composer takes the listener on a journey whose destination never seems to be known in advance, one brimming over with structural innovations subtly brought out in this interpretation by the musicians of the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin. This recording is also an opportunity to discover just how clearly Cherubini's music prefigured that of Beethoven, whereas Méhul's symphony is a response à la française to the German composer.
2 Beethoven: Symphony No.4 in B-Flat Major, Op.60: I. Adagio - Allegro Vivace
3 Beethoven: Symphony No.4 in B-Flat Major, Op.60: II. Adagio
4 Beethoven: Symphony No.4 in B-Flat Major, Op.60: III. Allegro Molto E Vivace - Trio. Un Poco Meno Allegro
5 Beethoven: Symphony No.4 in B-Flat Major, Op.60: IV. Allegro Ma Non Troppo
6 Méhul: Symphony No.1 in G minor: I. Allegro
7 Méhul: Symphony No.1 in G minor: II. Andante
8 Méhul: Symphony No.1 in G minor: III. Menuet. Allegro - Trio
9 Méhul: Symphony No.1 in G minor: IV. Finale. Allegro Agitato
10 Beethoven: Symphony No.8 in F Major, Op.93: I. Allegro Vivace E Con Brio
11 Beethoven: Symphony No.8 in F Major, Op.93: II. Allegretto Scherzando
12 Beethoven: Symphony No.8 in F Major, Op.93: III. Tempo Di Menuetto
13 Beethoven: Symphony No.8 in F Major, Op.93: IV. Allegro Vivace
The least famous of Beethoven's symphonies? Yet these two works are genuine tours de force: the composer takes the listener on a journey whose destination never seems to be known in advance, one brimming over with structural innovations subtly brought out in this interpretation by the musicians of the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin. This recording is also an opportunity to discover just how clearly Cherubini's music prefigured that of Beethoven, whereas Méhul's symphony is a response à la française to the German composer.