Beethoven: The 9 Symphonies

Colin Davis / Staatskapelle Berlin / Staatskapelle Dresden

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Beethoven: The 9 Symphonies Review

by James Leonard

With so many Beethoven symphony cycles available, is there a reason to add this one from the mid-'90s by Colin Davis with the Dresden Staatskapelle to your shelf? It depends on two things: how big is your shelf and how insatiable is your curiosity? For one thing, this cycle has Davis' supremely civilized yet profoundly passionate conducting, shaping, and shading of the music, following its architecture but instilling it with his own particular brand of fervor. A widely admired Mozart/Haydn, Sibelius/Stravinsky conductor, Davis rarely recorded Beethoven, and his way with him his highly individualistic with sharp accents, driving rhythms, and amazing grace. For another, it has the Staatskapelle's superbly poised and deeply dedicated playing, molding and coloring the music, breathing life into its notes and rhythms and making them sing and dance. A well-known east German Strauss/Bruckner orchestra, the Staatskapelle likewise rarely recorded Beethoven, and its performances are all its own with burnished colors, refined lines, and controlled power. Plus, Philips' sound is cool but crisp, clear but full, and clean but lush, that is, typical magnificent Philips' sound. In short, if your shelf is big and already contains a dozen or more Beethoven symphony cycles and if your curiosity for unusual conductor-orchestra combinations is insatiable, you might have room for the Davis/Dresden Beethoven cycle, too.

Track Listing - Disc 1

	Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21
1	Adagio molto - Allegro con brio Ludwig van Beethoven	Staatskapelle Berlin / Colin Davis / Staatskapelle Dresden	09:34	Spotify Amazon
2	Andante cantabile con moto Ludwig van Beethoven	Staatskapelle Berlin / Colin Davis / Staatskapelle Dresden	08:37	Spotify Amazon
3	Menuetto & Trio: Allegro molto e vivace Ludwig van Beethoven	Staatskapelle Berlin / Colin Davis / Staatskapelle Dresden	03:31	Spotify Amazon
4	Adagio - Allegro molto e vivace Ludwig van Beethoven	Staatskapelle Berlin / Colin Davis / Staatskapelle Dresden	06:14	Spotify Amazon
Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92
5	Poco sostenuto - Vivace Ludwig van Beethoven	Staatskapelle Berlin / Colin Davis / Staatskapelle Dresden	15:05	Spotify Amazon
6	Allegretto Ludwig van Beethoven	Staatskapelle Berlin / Colin Davis / Staatskapelle Dresden	09:44	Spotify Amazon
7	Scherzo & Trio: Allegro Ludwig van Beethoven	Staatskapelle Berlin / Colin Davis / Staatskapelle Dresden	10:30	Spotify Amazon
8	Allegro con brio Ludwig van Beethoven	Staatskapelle Berlin / Colin Davis / Staatskapelle Dresden	09:14	Spotify Amazon

Track Listing - Disc 2

	Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 36
1	Adagio molto - Allegro con brio Ludwig van Beethoven	Staatskapelle Berlin / Colin Davis / Staatskapelle Dresden	13:14	Spotify Amazon
2	Larghetto Ludwig van Beethoven	Staatskapelle Berlin / Colin Davis / Staatskapelle Dresden	11:25	Spotify Amazon
3	Scherzo & Trio: Allegro Ludwig van Beethoven	Staatskapelle Berlin / Colin Davis / Staatskapelle Dresden	03:53	Spotify Amazon
4	Allegro molto Ludwig van Beethoven	Staatskapelle Berlin / Colin Davis / Staatskapelle Dresden	07:00	Spotify Amazon
Symphony No. 8 in F major, Op. 93
5	Allegro vivace e con brio Ludwig van Beethoven	Staatskapelle Berlin / Colin Davis / Staatskapelle Dresden	10:08	Spotify Amazon
6	Allegretto scherzando Ludwig van Beethoven	Staatskapelle Berlin / Colin Davis / Staatskapelle Dresden	04:09	Spotify Amazon
7	Tempo di menuetto Ludwig van Beethoven	Staatskapelle Berlin / Colin Davis / Staatskapelle Dresden	05:13	Spotify Amazon
8	Allegro vivace Ludwig van Beethoven	Staatskapelle Berlin / Colin Davis / Staatskapelle Dresden	08:12	Spotify Amazon

Track Listing - Disc 3

	Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 55 'Eroica'
1	Allegro con brio Ludwig van Beethoven	Staatskapelle Berlin / Colin Davis / Staatskapelle Dresden	18:55	Spotify Amazon
2	Marcia funebre: Adagio assai Ludwig van Beethoven	Staatskapelle Berlin / Colin Davis / Staatskapelle Dresden	17:33	Spotify Amazon
3	Scherzo & Trio: Allegro vivace Ludwig van Beethoven	Staatskapelle Berlin / Colin Davis / Staatskapelle Dresden	06:01	Spotify Amazon
4	Allegro molto - Poco andante - Presto Ludwig van Beethoven	Staatskapelle Berlin / Colin Davis / Staatskapelle Dresden	13:07	Spotify Amazon
Egmont, Op. 84
5	Overture Ludwig van Beethoven	Staatskapelle Berlin / Colin Davis / Staatskapelle Dresden	09:07	Spotify Amazon

Track Listing - Disc 4

	Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
Symphony No. 4 in B flat major, Op. 60
1	Adagio - Allegro vivace Ludwig van Beethoven	Staatskapelle Berlin / Colin Davis / Staatskapelle Dresden	11:56	Spotify Amazon
2	Adagio Ludwig van Beethoven	Staatskapelle Berlin / Colin Davis / Staatskapelle Dresden	10:02	Spotify Amazon
3	Menuetto: Allegro vivace; Trio; Un poco meno allegro Ludwig van Beethoven	Staatskapelle Berlin / Colin Davis / Staatskapelle Dresden	06:01	Spotify Amazon
4	Allegro ma non troppo Ludwig van Beethoven	Staatskapelle Berlin / Colin Davis / Staatskapelle Dresden	07:09	Spotify Amazon
Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67
5	Allegro con brio Ludwig van Beethoven	Staatskapelle Berlin / Colin Davis / Staatskapelle Dresden	07:58	Spotify Amazon
6	Andante con moto Ludwig van Beethoven	Staatskapelle Berlin / Colin Davis / Staatskapelle Dresden	10:39	Spotify Amazon
7	Allegro - Ludwig van Beethoven	Staatskapelle Berlin / Colin Davis / Staatskapelle Dresden	06:03	Spotify Amazon
8	Allegro - Presto Ludwig van Beethoven	Staatskapelle Berlin / Colin Davis / Staatskapelle Dresden	11:19	Spotify Amazon

Track Listing - Disc 5

	Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68 'Pastoral'
1	Allegro ma non troppo (Awakening of happy feelings on arriving in the country) Ludwig van Beethoven	Staatskapelle Berlin / Colin Davis / Staatskapelle Dresden	12:31	Spotify Amazon
2	Andante molto mosso (Scene by the brook) Ludwig van Beethoven	Staatskapelle Berlin / Colin Davis / Staatskapelle Dresden	13:53	Spotify Amazon
3	Allegro - sempre più stretto - In tempo d'allegro - Tempo I - Presto (Merry gathering of countryfolk) Ludwig van Beethoven	Staatskapelle Berlin / Colin Davis / Staatskapelle Dresden	05:48	Spotify Amazon
4	Allegro (Thunder and storm) Ludwig van Beethoven	Staatskapelle Berlin / Colin Davis / Staatskapelle Dresden	04:18	Spotify Amazon
5	Allegretto (Shepherds' song. Benificent feelings with thanks to the Godhead after the storm) Ludwig van Beethoven	Staatskapelle Berlin / Colin Davis / Staatskapelle Dresden	09:46	Spotify Amazon
6	Overture 'Leonore' No. 3, Op. 72b Ludwig van Beethoven	Staatskapelle Berlin / Colin Davis / Staatskapelle Dresden	14:42	Spotify Amazon

Track Listing - Disc 6

	Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125
1	Allegro non troppo, un poco maestoso Ludwig van Beethoven	Staatskapelle Berlin / Colin Davis / Staatskapelle Dresden	17:27	Spotify Amazon
2	Molto vivace - Presto Ludwig van Beethoven	Staatskapelle Berlin / Colin Davis / Staatskapelle Dresden	13:43	Spotify Amazon
3	Adagio molto e cantabile - Andante moderato - Tempo I - Andante moderato - Adagio - Lo stesso tempo Ludwig van Beethoven	Staatskapelle Berlin / Colin Davis / Staatskapelle Dresden	15:35	Spotify Amazon
4	Presto - Allegro assai - Ludwig van Beethoven	Staatskapelle Berlin / Colin Davis / Staatskapelle Dresden	06:36	Spotify Amazon
5	Presto - Recitativo - Ludwig van Beethoven	Staatskapelle Berlin / Colin Davis / Staatskapelle Dresden	00:55	Spotify Amazon
6	Allegro assai - Ludwig van Beethoven	Staatskapelle Berlin / Colin Davis / Staatskapelle Dresden	02:46	Spotify Amazon
7	Allegro assai vivace (alla marcia) - Ludwig van Beethoven	Staatskapelle Berlin / Colin Davis / Staatskapelle Dresden	04:39	Spotify Amazon
8	Andante maestoso - Adagio ma non troppo, ma divoto - Ludwig van Beethoven	Staatskapelle Berlin / Colin Davis / Staatskapelle Dresden	03:38	Spotify Amazon
9	Allegro energico, sempre ben marcato - Ludwig van Beethoven	Staatskapelle Berlin / Colin Davis / Staatskapelle Dresden	02:17	Spotify Amazon
10	Allegro ma non tanto - Presto - Maestoso - Prestissimo Ludwig van Beethoven	Staatskapelle Berlin / Colin Davis / Staatskapelle Dresden	04:12	Spotify Amazon

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