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Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 "Choral" (1995)
by Catherine Wyn-Rogers, Gillian Webster, Martyn Hill, Robert Hayward, Ambrosian Singers (choir, chorus), Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Raymond Leppard (conductor)
Raymond Leppard conducted Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in D minor with the Ambrosian Singers and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in 1994, and his meticulous recording is a testament to the performers' skills and the potential of digital technology, if not really a document of a great performance. While the music may impress through its remarkable clarity and crispness, and satisfy some audiophiles for its wide dynamic range, pristine details, and nearly lifelike fidelity, it never rises to the level of a stirring emotional experience, and anyone who has encountered any of the legendary recordings of the Ninth will find Leppard's reading seriously lacking in mystery, power, beauty, and ecstasy. The first movement has no feeling of terror or tragic majesty, but comes across a bit more as a Classical movement in the mannered style of Sturm und Drang : dark and brooding, perhaps, but a little too elegant and refined. The scherzo is clean and fleet, but in Leppard's hands it seems quite... Hide synopsis
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