Beethoven: Symphonies 2 and 7 [Hybrid SACD]

Customer Rating:
Summary: A Grand Finale!
Comment: With this release, Vanska comes to the end of his Awesome Beethoven Symphony Cycle...

A Fine Finish it is, too!

Vanska's 7th is a powerhouse of dynamic cohesion throughout, and the horns are just not to be believed....you MUST hear this recording! The sonics are just superb, of course, as are the other recordings in this cycle, and there is a lovely sheen, also, to the strings.

The Second, while most people consider it "fodder", has long been one of my favorites, and here, too, the Minnesota give us a beautiful, dazzling and boyant reading. Naught to complain about, again here!

Do Treat Yourself to this, the crowning jewel of the Vanska/Minnesota Cycle of Beethoven's Symphonies!

Not sure if BIS will be issuing this series in a single box, but that SURE would be nice...I'd certainly re-purchase it in that format, if they do!

Customer Rating:
Summary: Fairly zesty, but the style is warmed-over period cliche
Comment: Despite their ecstatic reviews when they go to New York, I am baffled by the reception accorded Osmo Vanska and the Minnesota Orch. in Beethoven. To my ears, this isn't new, adventurous, groundbreaking performance style. It's a throwback to the days in the Eighties when Roger Norrington was making waves with HIP Beethoven. As in that era, tempos are fast, expression flat (no personality, please, we're being authentic), ensemble crisp, and no hint that Beethoven was a revolutionary -- everything is done to squash his heroism.

If you already own -- and have had enough -- period-style Beethoven from Norrington or Gardiner, if you've already experienced the "updated" traditionalists (Abbado, Rattle, Haitink), there's little of note here. Even at fast tempo there's no inner life to Vanska's Beethoven, and the best I can say is that Sym. #2, being more Haydnesque, survives the bloodletting better than Sym. #7. The orchestra plays with no great expertise; the recorded sound, as heard in two-channel stereo, is quite good.

Customer Rating:
Summary: Tireless Beethoven--a must have
Comment: Of all the CD's in Vanska's Beethoven cycle, this is the one I've been anticipating most of all. The Minnesota Orchestra gives a phenomenal performance of both symphonies on this disc. #7 in particular is loaded with energy and enthusiasm, yet always keeping control. Special kudos go to the horns. I've heard some lackluster performances of Beethoven's symphonies. This is definitely NOT one of those. For anyone who wants a definitive collection of the Beethoven cycle, invest in this series.

I wonder if Osmo Vanska had to strap his baton to his wrist to keep from flinging it into the orchestra during the final movement? It wouldn't surprise me...