Ludwig van Beethoven’s nine symphonies
With performances of the Seventh and Ninth Symphonies, Kirill Petrenko and the Berliner Philharmoniker have already given impressive performances of Beethoven’s music at the beginning of their collaboration. In addition to the chief conductor and his two predecessors, this compilation features Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Christian Thielemann and Paavo Järvi, who have all put their unique stamp on Beethoven performances over the last few decades.
The affinity of Philharmoniker chief conductors to composers such as Bruckner, Mahler, Haydn and even Mozart varied, but Beethoven, like Brahms, was at the centre of the artistic work for all of them. Kirill Petrenko’s predecessors Herbert von Karajan, Claudio Abbado and Sir Simon Rattle performed all nine symphonies again and again and also made complete recordings. Each of them developed a unique approach, but also benefited from the interpretations that guest conductors developed during their performances with the Philharmoniker.
Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Giovanni Antonini are two conductors who approach Beethoven’s works from the perspective of historical performance practice. Paavo Järvi, one of the most accomplished interpreters of the Classical and Romantic orchestral repertoire, has released an acclaimed complete recording of the cycle and is represented in this selection with a performance of the First Symphony. Gustavo Dudamel on the other hand was trained in the Venezuelan youth project “El sistema”. This internationally acclaimed initiative proved that Beethoven’s music speaks to young people from all over the world like no other. Finally, Christian Thielemann gave an unforgettable performance of the Eroica in his Beethoven debut with the Philharmoniker in 2015.
The Ninth Symphony marks the end of the selection, which, according to Kirill Petrenko, illuminates the positive as well as the negative, the hopes as well as the darker side of the human soul.
