Symphonies [complete] / Overtures

"Chailly's first recorded Beethoven cycle shows him to be a Classicist through and through...There is also a lovely Italianate cantabile which period strings would find it impossible (and possibly undesirable) to match...The recordings, I should add, are superb...There is space around the sound, as there needs to be in Beethoven, complemented by an immediacy and clarity of detail that derives in large measure from the playing itself." (Gramophone Award Nomination 2012)

"His Beethoven represents a confrontation of tradition...with innovative ideas...From the outset, it is clear that Chailly's Beethoven will be an exhilarating adventure: closely observing the once-controversial metronome markings, he conducts the fast movements of the C and D major symphonies with Haydnesque wit and brio...The breathtaking finale of No 8 is the most exciting I have heard on disc." (Sunday Times)

"This is above all, an explosively swift cycle. Chailly is utterly faithful to Beethoven's metronome markings...but the tautness of the playing, the definition of its detail - especially from the woodwind - and the phenomenal range of dynamics the Gewandhaus Orchestra has at its command mean that weight and drama are always available to Chailly...The result is a Beethoven cycle that's up there with the best modern-orchestra versions of recent times"
(Guardian)

"Readings focused entirely on the composer, not on debating how things 'should' sound...The playing is responsive and immaculate throughout, forming the backbone of Chailly's brilliantly authentic crib-sheet of a symphony cycle."
(BBC)