| Click for trackinfo |
| Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3 |
| Symphonies Nos. 2 & 6 |
| Symphonies Nos. 4 & 7 |
| Symphonies Nos. 5 & 8 |
| Symphony No. 9 |
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Symphony No.1 in C, Op.21 |
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| 1 | Adagio molto – Allegro con brio |
9. 00 | |
| 2 | Andante cantabile con moto |
6. 49 | |
| 3 | Menuetto – Trio (Allegro molto e vivace) |
3. 33 | |
| 4 | Finale (Adagio – Allegro molto e vivace) |
5. 44 | |
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| 5 | Allegro con brio |
16. 18 | |
| 6 | Marcia funebre (Adagio assai) |
13. 59 | |
| 7 | Scherzo (Allegro vivace) |
5. 54 | |
| 8 | Finale (Allegro molto) | 11. 09 | |
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Total playing-time: |
72. 55 | |

The fruits of megalomania It is all too easy to forget that when Ludwig van Beethoven presented his early symphonies to the Viennese public at the beginning of the 19th century, the genre there had already lost much of its allure. But the facts speak for themselves: by around 1795, well-known symphonic composers such as Haydn, Gyrowetz and Vanhal had relegated the symphony to oblivion and were concentrating on other artistic projects. And it seemed the new generation of Viennese composers were not the least bit interested in mastering this genre. The reason for this waning popularity was the slow erosion of court culture. Although every 18th-century Austrian court had employed its own orchestra, such excesses were being pruned vigorously in the aftermath of the Enlightenment. Furthermore, the Viennese concert society no longer operated regularly at the end of the 18th century, so public symphonic concerts were not being organised. Anyone preferring financial security to artistic integrity was therefore better advised to write operas, this being pretty much the safest choice for composers in those days, despite the fluctuating taste of the average Viennese music lover. After all, a commercially successful opera did a great deal more for one’s fame than a solidly constructed string quartet or an innovative symphonic work. This explains Beethoven’s repeated (but unsuccessful) attempts -- right up to 1807 -- to persuade the directors of various city theatres to give him a job as an opera composer. Tom Janssens |
It's doubtful that too many people will be buying this album exclusively to hear Beethoven's First Symphony. But if they do, they'll be getting one of the best performances of the work I've ever heard committed to disc….No, it's the Beethoven Third, the "Eroica," that most people will probably be interested in, and here, too, Herreweghe's reading will not disappoint. It's one of the most satisfying versions around, filling a void between the slower, grander, more traditional approaches of Klemperer, Bohm, Barbirolli, Jochum, and other old-timers and the brisker renditions of people like Norrington and Zinman.”
Classicalcandor.blogspot.com“Symphonies 1 and 3 were taped June 26-29, 2008 in the Concertgebouw, Brugge in Belgium. Producer Andreas Neubronner and balance engineer Markus Heiland have done a splendid job in capturing the rich sound of these dynamic performances; surely this Eroica is superior to the new Andrew Manze version with the Helsingborg orchestra”.
Robert Benson, classicalcdreview.com
“Philippe Herreweghe has the better sound, hands down, and thus is the advantage of this disc. When I finished listening twice, I simply sat back with a great feeling of satisfaction. This is good Beethoven, maybe even great, and while it may or may not assault the sacred cows of the past—and certainly can compete with them in ways—Herreweghe is on to something here, and makes his case with thoughtful, highly musical aplomb”.
Audiophile Audition, Steven Ritter
“In the present recordings of Beethoven’s Symphonies Nos. 1 in C and 3 in E-flat (“Eroica”) with the Royal Flemish Philharmonic, Herreweghe shows himself completely in command of all the resources of a large symphony orchestra. And he shows us something else. He knows his Beethoven”.
Dr Phil Muse, Atlanta Audio Society
“The two most recent “Eroica” performances that I’ve heard are a study in contrast: Herreweghe’s is majestically scaled, elegant, balanced; Järvi’s is propulsive, light-textured, and nimble…..on the whole, I prefer Herreweghe’s performances, and especially the sound production. PentaTone has provided a weighty, full, and deep production that renders Järvi’s RCA job lightweight by comparison. That could be said to apply to the performances as well”.
Christopher Abbot, Fanfare