German Chamber Orchestra/Paavo Järvi: Beethoven - Symphony No. 9

Enjoy the full glory of the orchestra in Paavo Järvi’s sublime new recording of Beethoven's Symphony No.9

Composer: Beethoven
Repertoire: Symphony No. 9 
Artists: Christiane Oelze (sop), Petra Lang (alto), Klaus Florian Vogt (ten), Matthias Goerne (bar), German Chamber Choir, German Chamber Orchestra, Bremen/Paavo Järvi
Rating:  5/5
Genre: Vocal/Orchestral
Label: RCA Red Seal 88697 57606-2

Paavo Järvi completes his series of Beethoven symphonies with a recording of the Ninth so overwhelming that I forgot to make any notes while listening and had to play it again immediately. At 64 minutes, the performance is swift in the modern manner, but it rarely feels rushed. For me, the acid test in the first movement is the beginning of the recapitulation: Järvi approaches it with a sudden mighty crescendo and the moment itself is spine-tingling, with thunderous timpani brilliantly caught by the engineers. The choir and most of the soloists are first-rate. Schiller’s poem and a translation would have been preferable to the windy booklet article.