Credits:

Stanisław Skrowaczewski, NHK Symphony Orchestra

Description:

The mastery of Beethoven interpretation. Perfect polyphony and incandescent sound coexist in this CD of the Beethoven works performed by Sukrovaczewski with the NHK Symphony Orchestra in 2004. All the performances are fresh and lively, and you can feel the passion of the live performance. The interpretation is not at all wasteful, and the expression is full of blood and will, from the most delicate weak passages to the tightest and most powerful ones. In the first movement coda of the "Hero," Sukrovaczewski builds to a raging climax while holding back the brass instruments, a feat only Sukrovaczewski could have accomplished with such thoughtfulness. The last movement is also overwhelmingly powerful, with its perfectly polyphonic form. The seventh movement is even more heated, and even the Maestro's footsteps are recorded as if he had stomped his foot in a fit of rage. The music moves forward without any breakdowns, and the NHK Symphony Orchestra responds wonderfully. King International