Beethoven Symphonies 4&8

Méhul & Cherubini

Works featured on the CD

Ludwig van Beethoven
• 4. Symphonie in B flat major, op. 60
• 8. Symphonie in F major, op. 93

Étienne Nicolas Méhul, 1. Symphonie in G minor

Luigi Cherubini, Ouverture to the Opera „Lodoïska“

A spirit of discovery also shapes the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin’s new Beethoven recording. Programmatic juxtapositions with unjustly forgotten symphonies from the world of Viennese Classicism place Beethoven’s symphonies in a new context and reveal his distinctly European perspective on musical and intellectual history. For Beethoven by no means composed as an “original genius,” as the still‑popular image of the composer would suggest. In a historically informed sound world, these works once again enter into dialogue and open up a surprising and fascinating view of the richly varied musical landscape on the threshold of the 19th century.

During the period surrounding the French Revolution, Étienne Nicolas Méhul was among the most successful composers. A new - quite literally revolutionary - tone that heightened emotional expression in music was spreading from France at the time. Méhul’s first symphony also shows striking similarities to Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, which was composed around the same time.
The master from Bonn also held Luigi Cherubini in the highest esteem. Cherubini’s highly expressive Lodoïska overture comes from one of the earliest “rescue operas,” a popular genre of the time to which Beethoven’s Fidelio also belongs.

Released on
harmonia mundi, 2022