Orchester Wiener Akademie, Martin Haselbock – Beethoven: Egmont – Beethoven Resound, Vol. 3 (2016) [FLAC 24bit/96kHz]

With RESOUND we bring the orchestral works of Beethoven back to the halls and theatres of their Viennese premieres or other venues where they received their earliest performances. Four of the six venues where first performances of one or more of the nine symphonies were held still exist today, as do the eight Viennese halls and theatres where the composer’s works were performed in his lifetime. Our orchestral forces correspond in size and instrumentarium to those used by the composer, and our performances even respect unusual platform layouts, such as placing the chorus in front of the orchestra in Symphony no. 9. Our producer Stephan Reh masterfully captures the specific acoustical qualities of each room: the mellow fullness of the Baroque Landhaussaal, the powerful intimacy of the Eroica-Saal in the Palais Lobkowitz, the transparency of the Old University Hall, the dry clarity of the Theater in der Josefstadt, and the voluminous acoustic of the Redoutensaal, in Beethoven’s day the largest concert venue available in Vienna.

Theatre Music – the dialogue in the service of great poetry – is the focus of this recording. We have already been able to perform Egmont with several renowned actors. That the part of the narrator is here taken by Herbert Fttinger, currently the director of the theatre for which Beethoven himself wrote music, is beautifully fitting. Christopher Hampton has modeled the combined texts of Goethe and Grillparzer into his poetic English translation. It fills us with great joy and gratitude that John Malkovich – with whom we have already had the pleasure of collaborating for several years – has taken on the part of the narrator in the English version. With our interpretations we wish to offer you music in the sound of its own time: we want to add to the possibilities of historical instruments the sound and the aura of the concert halls in which the composer himself conducted and experienced his works. At every step in Vienna one encounters places and signs of a great musical past: to make historic architecture echo with great music and to communicate that perceived authenticity to modern ears — that is the ultimate goal of RESOUND Beethoven.

Haselbck and the period instrumentalists of his splendid Orchester Wiener Akademie give an appropriately vibrant and battle-hardened account…Bernarda Bobro, who was clearly born to sing such roles as Beethoven’s Marzelline…is delightful in Klrchen’s two brief but engagingly worked solo numbers…a very collectable disc – Gramophone Magazine September 2016

Tracklist:

1. Egmont, Op. 84: Ouverture (Sostenuto, ma non troppo – Allegro) – 7:20
2. Egmont, Op. 84: Monolog und Lied ‘Die Trommel gerührt’ – 5:46
3. Egmont, Op. 84: Monolog und Zwischenakt I (Andante) – 3:07
4. Egmont, Op. 84: Monolog und Zwischenakt II (Larghetto) – 6:00
5. Egmont, Op. 84: Monolog und Lied ‘Freudvoll und leidvoll, gedankenvoll sein’ – 2:35
6. Egmont, Op. 84: Monolog und Zwischenakt III (Allegro) – 4:42
7. Egmont, Op. 84: Monolog und Zwischenakt IV (Poco sostenuto e risoluto) – 4:01
8. Egmont, Op. 84: Monolog und Musik “Clärchens Tod bezeichnend” (Larghetto) – 3:49
9. Egmont, Op. 84: Melodram (Poco sostenuto) – 4:08
10. Egmont, Op. 84: Monolog und Siegessymphonie (Allegro con brio) – 3:31
11. Ouvertüre C-Dur ‘Die Weihe des Hauses’, Op. 124 – 10:28
12. Egmont, Op. 84: Overture (Sostenuto, ma non troppo – Allegro) – 7:21
13. Egmont, Op. 84: Monologue and Song ‘Die Trommel gerührt’ – 5:42
14. Egmont, Op. 84: Monologue and Entr’acte I (Andante) – 3:05
15. Egmont, Op. 84: Monologue and Entr’acte II (Larghetto) – 6:05
16. Egmont, Op. 84: Monologue and Song ‘Freudvoll und leidvoll, gedankenvoll sein’ – 2:28
17. Egmont, Op. 84: Monologue and Entr’acte III (Allegro) – 4:34
18. Egmont, Op. 84: Monologue and Entr’acte IV (Poco sostenuto e risoluto) – 3:59
19. Egmont, Op. 84: Monologue and Music Depicting Clärchen’s Death (Larghetto) – 3:50
20. Egmont, Op. 84: Melodrama (Poco sostenuto) – 4:06
21. Egmont, Op. 84: Monologue and Victory Symphony (Allegro con brio) – 3:39
22. Overture in C Major ‘The Consecration of the House’, Op. 124 – 10:28