Orchestral
Beethoven
Symphonies Nos 1-9
Kate Royal (soprano), Christine Rice (mezzo-soprano), Tumoas Katajala (tenor), Derek Welton (bass-baritone); Malmö Symphony Chorus & Orchestra/Robert Trevino Ondine ODE1348-5Q (CD/SACD) 349:23 mins (5 discs)
With more than a hundred versions of Beethoven’s cycle of symphonies now available on CD, DVD and/or online, any newcomer has to offer something special to justify their place in the vast range of interpretations. This new and reasonably priced set introduced me both to the orchestra, the Malmö Symphony, and its new conductor, the Mexican-American Robert Trevino. In the accompanying booklet Trevino is highly articulate about his approach to the symphonies. It is eclectic, and he genuinely seems to find merit in such disparate performances as those by Karajan and those of the historically-informed school, which has taken over in the last 30 years or so.
The opening of the First Symphony immediately shows the impact on Trevino of historically-informed performance. After the opening chords there’s a brisker tempo than you would find in any performance before the 1970s, with the exception of such oddballs as Scherchen and Leibowitz.
The orchestral balance is often heavily in favour of the winds, especially the woodwinds, often at the expense of the strings. My only criticism
