Catalogue

Summary:

“The First Symphony receives one of the most enjoyable performances I have heard for a long time, and one of the most detailed” ★★★★ – BBC Music Magazine

“[Boyd] draws lean, elegant playing in the classical mould … It’s as if every hint of Beethoven the Romantic revolutionary has been excised” – Financial Times

“These are refreshingly “straight” but compelling accounts of both symphonies, scrupulously observant of Beethoven’s dynamic markings and wonderfully transparent … Boyd sustains a remarkably expansive Funeral March, the emotional climax of the Eroica and the crowning achievement of this remarkable, collectable disc” ★★★★ – The Sunday Times

Manchester Camerata have made an indelible mark with their universally acclaimed series of recordings for Avie. With this release, their fifth for the label, they continue their Beethoven cycle with live versions of the First and Third Symphonies that capture the spirit and freshness of these remarkable, genre-busting works, as well as the excitement, atmosphere and energy of the 33-piece orchestra under their Music Director Douglas Boyd.

Manchester Camerata have become one of the finest, most innovative chamber orchestras in the UK, and Douglas Boyd has proven to be an eminent Beethovenian. Conducting the composer’s Fidelio at the 2009 Garsington Opera Festival, The Times noted “his grasp of Beethovenian idiom” and “pungent underlining of orchestral detail”, praising the musical performance as “sublime and exultant”. In addition to residencies at The Bridgewater Hall and The Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester Camerata perform extensively throughout the UK, including regular appearance at the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall.

In a market admittedly crowded with Beethoven Symphonies, there is always room for a new recording as skilful and spirited as this one.

Tracklist:

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770–1827)

Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21 (1800) (26:33)
1. I Adagio molto – Allegro con brio (9:16)
2. II Andante cantabile con moto (7:47)
3. III Menuetto – Allegro molto e vivace (4:04)
4. IV Finale: Adagio – Allegro molto e vivace (5:24)

Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 55 ‘Eroica’ (1804) (47:51)
5. I Allegro con brio (16:01)
6. II Marcia funebre – Adagio assai (15:14)
7. III Scherzo – Allegro vivace (5:30)
8. IV Finale – Allegro molto (11:04)

Total time: 74:35

Manchester Camerata
Douglas Boyd, conductor

Symphony No. 1 recorded at The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, 29 November 2008
Recording producer: Andrew Keener
Recording engineer: Simon Eadon
Assistant engineer: Will Brown
Editor: Simon Eadon

Symphony No. 3 recorded at The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, 27 September 2008
Recording producer: Misha Donat
Recording engineer: Simon Eadon
Assistant Engineer: Will Brown
Editors: Ian Watson and Jennie Whiteside