Gratuitous Musickal Posting (TM)

The local classical station is giving us a taste at the moment of a brand new recording of Beethoven's 5th Symphony by Tafelmusik and Bruno Weil.

In fact, they're playing the second movement. One of the annoying things about this station is that it often plays single movements of pieces. We hates that. Nonetheless, I'm glad I heard this. I've always loved this particular piece of music (and indeed, the entire symphony which, although it's been beaten to death as a warhorse, is quite deserving of the praise it's received). If done right, the second movement is a real combination of dignified grandeur and the occasional touch of the exotic. But it can't be too fast and it can't be too slow. It seems to me that Weil gets the pace about right. And one of the hallmarks of Tafelmusik is a clarity that allows you to dig deep into the music without getting lost in a lot of clutter.

I've been very satisfied with Tafelmusik's treatment of Haydn and, as I say, it seems as if they're doing well with Beethoven, too. Indeed, I may have to look into buying this CD. My current performance is by John Eliot Gardiner and the Orchestra of the Age of Romance and Revolution and JEG goes through the movement like a bat out of hell, totally junking it IMHO.