Read on Twitter
1/ Swiss Timing: Conductor #169 Philippe Jordan's #Beethoven is driven by a cutting-edge musical mechanism, elegantly housed in an flawlessly finished case. As painstakingly put together as a Patek Philippe, he's created a timeless #BeethovenOdyssey objet d'art.
2/ Dashing figures: The @viennasymphony's sleek, streamlined sound lets them take every corner with fleet-footed ease. They're nimble and athletic on the straight, and even when they're flying at top speed, there's never a hair out of place. https://open.spotify.com/track/55kbL7X6jwiHXff9nw5RWf?si=TvUrDB1FRgmYZAI-UKwDIw
3/ Nouvelle cuisine: Jordan's fresh-tasting, perfectly-presented plates are far from the full-fat feast prepared by the Vienna Philharmonic's head chef Andris Nelsons. Tasty as this is, it sits heavy on my stomach and I've eaten it too often before. https://open.spotify.com/track/5Tpvo5Rf4xa9SscAuCXLiY?si=JVvXzkV5Qa-Hgs3ZM74DqA
4/ A sense of history I: This cycle beautiful blends traditional Viennese warmth with a healthy sprinkle of historically-informed textural transparency, articulacy and bite that brings it much closer to Ádám Fischer's outstanding recent cycle. https://open.spotify.com/track/6aAwIySPKEoNIFHVzmVzhU?si=Knz1R0wfTTWkeeTg_8yBKw
5/ A sense of history II: There's kinship with other Beethoven traditions too. The Eroica forges elements of Toscanini's ruthless clarity, Eric Kleiber's irresistible flow, Felix Weingartner's lean beef flavour and Pierre Monteux's lightness of touch. https://open.spotify.com/track/0cVxLhxYIOrCyM7i0qR8g8?si=vNTCTU3VTN2BH4YPzgyDtQ
6/ Child of Apollo: Jordan's elegant poise is the opposite pole to the weighty personal expression of Furtwängler. He follows the latest scholarship about Beethoven's tempi, and I've never heard No. 9's adagio sound more convincing at this speed. https://open.spotify.com/track/4FrAuCXToqEGvOOkE4DAa1?si=bHT2DAgdTJeB3f5vcMJFjQ
7/ This Apollonian approach is perfect for symphonies 2, 4 and 8. Sparing vibrato still lets the strings sweetly float their songs on air, while this adagio's clockwork precision is also effortlessly elastic, allowing his soloists their expressive head. https://open.spotify.com/track/4YPYLiTVaJz47UjjFiYKaP?si=jeFCV74nTjqyClMHtwkCDw
8/ Criticisms? Perhaps the poise and polish can underplay Beethoven's wildness, and Adam Fischer's volatile humour is alien to Jordan's supreme sense of order. But you might call that a compliment if you like your Beethoven Olympian rather than earthy. https://open.spotify.com/track/1xEkvAzg1BSFwzU7j0QiDK?si=htL15S6TSvqHig3xT_8wFQ
