This album arrived with Robert Trevino rapidly ascending as one of the world’s most exciting young conductors. And as a calling card, the Beethoven symphonies make quite a statement. Recorded in concert over a fortnight, these performances pack quite a punch. The odd-number works zip along, but Trevino is no speed merchant and he lets the music breathe naturally—and effectively. No. 4, often a conductor’s special favorite, is beautifully shaped; No. 8, another gem, is a delight. The cycle builds naturally to No. 9, and it doesn’t disappoint. This is a genuinely thrilling end point to an impressively hard-won journey.
- Gundula Janowitz, Lucia Popp, René Kollo, Adolfo Dallapozza, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Hans Sotin, Manfred Jungwirth, Chorus of the Vienna State Opera, Vienna Philharmonic & Leonard Bernstein
- John Wilson, RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Sinfonia of London Chamber Ensemble & Andrew Haveron
- Gürzenich-Orchester Köln & François-Xavier Roth
- Dmitry Sinkovsky, Musica Viva & Alexander Rudin
- Antje Weithaas, NDR Radiophilharmonie & Andrew Manze
- So Jin Kim & Kurpfälzisches Kammerorchester