Charles Mackerras' brisk, sinewy readings of
Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 ("Choral"), are available in several different iterations and are worthy of consideration from those who want to strip a layer of grandiosity away from this massive work. His slow movement, not very slow at all, is especially lovely, adding a dancelike quality that is missed in many interpretations. It seems more of a piece with other late works, such as the Op. 111 piano sonata finale, that develop large structures from simple materials. His opening movements are lighter, too, but he doesn't stint on the weight of the "Ode to Joy" finale. Here, the
New Company chorus responds well in that vocally challenging movement, but otherwise there's little reason to choose this 1994 live recording, made at the Edinburgh Festival, over studio versions. The
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment seems a step behind
Mackerras at several points, and the sound is not really adequate: the microphones seem to have been at a great distance from the orchestra, and the winds get unnaturally highlighted. CD buyers may wish to note that although the booklet text is promised "in German with English translations," the notes are in English only; it's the text of the "Ode to Joy" that's given in German and English. The bones of
Mackerras' ideas are here, and someone obviously liked this old live version well enough to reissue it after 17 years, but sample other versions as well.