Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 7 Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique & Sir John Eliot Gardiner

• Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827): Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92:
• 1I. Poco sostenuto - Vivace13:08
• 2II. Allegretto08:25
• 3III. Presto, assai meno presto08:47
• 4IV. Allegro con brio09:14
• Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67:
• 5I. Allegro con brio06:39
• 6II. Andante con moto08:36
• 7III. Allegro07:50
• 8IV. Allegro10:40
• Total Runtime01:13:19

Info for Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 7

Nearly twenty years after their acclaimed Beethoven Symphonies recordings for Deutsche Grammophon, Sir John Eliot Gardiner and the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique returned to this repertoire for the first time last year, in a tour that took them to London, Philadelphia, Washington and New York. The concert in Carnegie Hall was broadcast live by WQXR, who kindly agreed to make the recording available to us to release on our label.

Sir John Eliot’s Gardiner’s reading of these familiar pieces highlights their revolutionary origin.

Performing on period instruments, the ORR brings light, clarity and brisk energy, as well as a warm and genuinely thrilling sound.

The Seventh, famously described by Wagner as the “apotheosis of the dance”, stands out by its sheer physical energy expressed in its many obsessively repetitive passages. The Fifth, often considered to be a deeply personal piece, also reveals echoes of revolutionary songs.

"Even if Weber didn’t make the famous remark attributed to him — “Beethoven is ripe for the madhouse” — you can understand his reaction. Played as the ORR play it, it can still make your hair stand on end." (Sunday Times)

"the electricity in the air is almost tangible. Gardiner is merciless in his demands...The tempo is often exhilarating, the playing always vital, edgy and thrillingly fluent. This is the most exciting Beethoven release you are likely to hear this year." (The Observer)

"The pace still feels driven, the tension high, but there’s a greater sense of fun and a touch more colour now. You sense that Gardiner’s Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique now have these difficult pieces under their collective skin, and can now project them with a little more spontaneity and freedom. This Fifth seethes, bubbles and spits in places...Symphony no 7 is better still, its rapt introduction leading to an astonishing, punchy Vivace." (The Arts Desk)

"So palpable is the excitement of these live performances that it almost comes as a shock that the applause has been excised...Gardiner and his resplendent Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique rejoice here in the sheer physicality of the music...These are the kind of performances that remind us of what a revolution of reassessment period-instrument bands provoke." (Gramophone Magazine)

Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique
John Eliot Gardiner, conductor

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