Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 5 Wiener Symphoniker, Philippe Jordan

• Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827): Symphony No. 4 in B-Flat Major, Op. 60:
• 1 Symphony No. 4 in B-Flat Major, Op. 60: I. Adagio - Allegro vivace 11:02
• 2 Symphony No. 4 in B-Flat Major, Op. 60: II. Adagio 08:41
• 3 Symphony No. 4 in B-Flat Major, Op. 60: III. Menuetto. Allegro vivace 05:44
• 4 Symphony No. 4 in B-Flat Major, Op. 60: IV. Allegro ma non troppo 06:45
• Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67:
• 5 Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67: I. Allegro con brio 06:59
• 6 Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67: II. Andante con moto 08:47
• 7 Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67: III. Allegro 07:46
• 8 Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67: IV. Allegro 10:41
• Total Runtime 01:06:25

Info for Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 5

In February 2018, the Wiener Symphoniker and their Music Director Philippe Jordan present the second album in their first complete recording cycle of the Beethoven symphonies. With his Fifth Symphony, Beethoven created a true symphonic icon. It is as universally known as it is popular, even among people who do not much care for classical music, above all thanks to its powerful opening bars. In German it is known as the Schicksalssymphonie, “Fate” Symphony. Its parallels with its predecessor, the Fourth, are less prominent than those with, for example, its successor the Sixth. Nevertheless, the Fourth features many ideas that would only be fully elaborated in the Fifth. “The connection”, Jordan emphasises, “is more a matter of the spirit of the works, but is no less important for all that.”

That is why this latest album, distributed by SONY but under the Wiener Symphoniker’s in-house label, combines the Symphony No. 4 in B flat major, op. 60, with the Symphony No. 5 in C minor, op. 67. As with the first album in the enthusiastically received Road to Beethoven project, this recording was made live in the Golden Hall of the Musikverein as part of an acclaimed cycle during spring and summer 2017. International critics were especially pleased with Jordan’s approach, which combines Wiener Klang, the distinctive Viennese instrumental style, with a contemporary and pared-back interpretation while incorporating insights from historically informed performance and original tempi. But for Jordan, the content is the main focus: instead of venerating Beethoven the monument, he wants to show him in a “more natural, direct and human” way.

Wiener Symphoniker
Philippe Jordan, conductor

Philippe Jordan
has already established himself as one of the most gifted and exciting conductors of his generation. At present, he is Music Director of the Opéra National de Paris and Music Director of the Wiener Symphoniker.Philippe Jordan’s musical education began with piano lessons at the age of six. At the age of eight, he joined the Zurich Sängerknaben and he was eleven when he began studying violin. At sixteen, he entered the Zurich Conservatory where he obtained his diploma of piano teacher with honors. He studied theory and composition with the Swiss composer Hans Ulrich Lehmann and continued his piano studies with Karl Engel. At the same time, he worked as assistant to Maestro Jeffrey Tate on Wagner’s Ring Cycle at the Châtelet in Paris. He continues to appear occasionally as pianist in recital and chamber music. His career began in 1994–95 as Kapellmeister of the Ulm Stadttheater. From 1998–2001, he was assistant to Daniel Barenboim at the Deutsche Staatsoper in Berlin. From 2001–04, he held the position of Chief Conductor of the Graz Opera and Graz Philharmonic Orchestra. In this period he made his debut at several prestigious international opera houses and festivals, the Houston Grand Opera, the Glyndebourne Festival, the Aix-en-Provence Festival, the Metropolitan Opera New York, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, the Teatro alla Scala, the Bayerische Staatsoper Munich, the Salzburger Festspiele (Cosi fan tutte), the Wiener Staatsoper, the Festspielhaus Baden Baden (Tannhäuser) and the Bayreuth Festival (Parsifal). From 2006–10, he was Principal Guest Conductor of the Berlin Staatsoper unter den Linden. Highlights of previous seasons include his opera debut at the Teatro alla Scala (Der Rosenkavalier). Philippe Jordan’s orchestral engagements have included the Berlin Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic, Berlin Staatskapelle, Vienna RSO, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Philharmonia Orchestra London, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Tonhalle Zurich, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra, NDR/Hamburg Symphony, DSO Berlin, Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, Rotterdam Phil- harmonic Orchestra and the Munchner Philharmoniker. In North America, he has appeared with the symphony orchestras of Seattle, St. Louis, Dallas, Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Washington, Minnesota, Montreal, New York and San Francisco.

Wiener Symphoniker
As Vienna’s cultural ambassador and premier concert orchestra, the Wiener Symphoniker handles the lion’s share of symphonic activity that makes up the musical life of the city. The preservation of the traditional, Viennese orchestral sound occupies a central role in the orchestra’s many artistic pursuits. The Wiener Symphoniker is one of Europe’s most prestigious ensembles and boasts 128 members. For this reason, the orchestra is precisely the right vehicle for the great Romantic works of Brahms, Bruckner, Mahler and Richard Strauss that constitute its core repertoire.

The Vienna Musikverein and nearby Konzerthaus are the principal performing venues of the Wiener Symphoniker. The orchestra has also been in residence at the Bregenzer Festspiele since 1946 and continues to maintain close ties to the festival. Beginning in 2006, the orchestra added another feather to its cap: The Wiener Symphoniker now serves as resident opera orchestra for a whole host of stylistically diverse productions taking place at the Theater an der Wien. Periodic international tours to the most important music centers round out the extensive portfolio of this traditional, Viennese orchestra.

Booklet for Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 5