Beethoven: Symphonies 1, 6 & 8

Claudio Abbado has certainly improved as a Beethoven interpreter over the years. His early performances of the symphonies, even as recently as 1989, when he assumed the leadership of the Berlin Philharmonic, seemed flaccid and soft-grained. But his most recent audio traversal of the works was a revelation: enlightened, from a scholarly perspective, and, in terms of playing, both elegant and strong, as can be witnessed in Beethoven: Symphonies 1, 6 & 8, one of four new DVDs compiling all nine symphonies. The readings are fleet and beautifully articulated, but they also manage to dig beneath the notes and capture some of the music's ruggedness as well as its classical grace. Granted, there are swifter, more pointed readings available of Symphonies 1 and 8, the most Haydnesque of the group, but Abbado's are certainly sprightly and clear, and his version of the “Pastorale” is radiantly beautiful. The sound--with DTS, Dolby Digital 5.1, and PCM stereo options--is splendid, and in the Symphony No. 6, the viewer has the ability to switch from the ordinary conductor-and-orchestra camerawork to a “conductor only” perspective. The other three titles in the series, available at the same price are: Beethoven: Symphonies 2 & 5, Beethoven: Symphonies 3 & 9, and Beethoven: Symphonies 4 & 7. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)