Beethoven Symphonies Nos 4 and 7
Academy of St Martin in the Fields conducted by Joshua Bell (Sony Classical)
WITH their very first recording together, the Academy of St Martin in the Fields and its new music director Joshua Bell instantly establish themselves as leaders in their field and one of the top teams in the music business.
It's as blunt as that. No matter how well you think you know these two Beethoven symphonies, stand by for a fresh and exhilarating learning experience. The Fourth Symphony, whose textures bristle with activity, fuelled by the academy's flawless instinct for pacing, is astonishingly revealing of the inner workings of the music which, at the same time, is delivered with lightness, weight and sheer power. The ensemble's virtuosity in the bracing finale is dazzling. The Seventh Symphony performance is really important. In an era when Beethoven is getting faster, Bell and the academy haul the tempo of the first movement back to a proper Beethovenian gallop: you can feel the pounding. Stunning and essential.
Michael Tumelty
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