This set combines two releases (from
2020
and
2022
) combining
Beethoven
's with works by his contemporaries; in the case of
Symphony No. 6
, it is a work by
Justin Heinrich Knecht
that is thought to have inspired the
"Pastoral" Symphony
. It's surprising that the
Knecht
work has very rarely been recorded, and
enthusiasts will want this purely for that reason. Another unusual feature is that the music is played by the
Akademie für alte Musik Berlin
without a conductor, but led by its concertmaster
Bernhard Forck
. This venerable group is a small ensemble, and though it is not the first to play the
"Pastoral"
this way, it's among the better ones, with a lively reading that balances sweet tunes with the prominent trombones characteristic of historical-instrument interpretations.
Symphonies Nos. 4
8
are matched with
Étienne Nicolas Méhul
's
Symphony No. 1 in G minor
, with moments reminiscent of
Fifth Symphony
, and the overture to the opera
Lodoïska
of
Luigi Cherubini
. He is often cited as one of
's predecessors, but the connections have never been clearer than they are here. The
Méhul
Cherubini
works are also valuable contributions to the discography of the
era. ~ TiVo Staff