Symphonies Nos 6 Pastoral & 2

Hybrid / SACD - playable on all compact disc players

"Haitink and the LSO are on course for a great modern Beethoven cycle. Much as he is one of my favourite conductors, I'd never really been a fan of Haitink's Beethoven until now. It seems as though he has returned to and rethought the scores. His way is suddenly leaner, swifter and more mercurial. There's confidence but no self-conscious swagger. The result is terrifically enjoyable."
Editor's Choice – Gramophone Magazine (Aug 2006)

"It really is an absurd bargain to be able to buy this CD for less than the price of a ticket for one of the concerts at which these performances were first given. However, while the concerts inevitably become just a memory, through the medium of CD listeners can relive the concert hall experience at will. This disc contains a very good account of the Second Symphony and a quite splendid version of the 'Pastoral. With a great orchestra on top form and directed by a master conductor this is a self-recommending issue, one that make me impatient to hear the rest of the cycle."
(MusicWeb Sept 2006)

The 'Pastoral' symphony is one of Beethoven's most consistently popular works, evoking feelings of the natural world's beauty. The symphony embodies the spirit of the dawning Romantic era in its depiction of the countryside, and allowed Beethoven to express his love of nature and the outdoors. At the time of its completion, the Second Symphony was probably the longest yet composed. Written while he was coming to terms with the onset of deafness, it is surprisingly light hearted and cheerful.

a fantastic performance - pure music-making by a great conductor and an orchestra that responds magnificently to his every request'
CD of the Week
Classic FM (UK), 5-9 June 2006

'The fruitful influence of the historically minded period instrument movement on mainstream interpretation is vividly exemplified on this spanking disc by the LSO under a rejuvenated Bernard Haitink. The Second Symphony springs out at us with a freshness and intense physicality … but also with a most sensitive attention to detail … the Pastoral is a delight, recapturing the composer's excitement as he arrives in his beloved countryside'
Sunday Times, 4 June 2006

'Utter composure and authority drawn from a lifetime of musical exploration inform Bernard Haitink's latest Beethoven release with the LSO. The attention to detail is breathtaking. Vintage stuff'
The Scotsman, 2 June 2006

'the second release in the already legendary series … By theBrook has surely never been more beautifully played than it is here … There is a creaminess about the performance that is very difficult to capture on record'
MusicOMH.com, 20 May 2006