Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 / Choral Fantasy / Brahms: Double Concerto

Featuring

Kurt Sanderling
Thomas Zehetmair
Antônio Meneses
Sviatoslav Richter
WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln
USSR State Radio and TV Symphony Orchestra

State Academic Russian Chorus
Ludwig van Beethoven
Johannes Brahms

Did you know?

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Critical Reception

Brahms's Double Concerto was criticized by some for its combination of two solo instruments and its strong symphonic bias, though audience reactions were generally positive.

Performer Biography

Kurt Sanderling, the conductor on this album, began his career as a répétiteur in Berlin and later became chief conductor of the East Berlin Symphony Orchestra for 17 years.

Compositional Technique

Beethoven's Sixth Symphony extends the classical four-movement symphony structure to five movements, with the last three movements flowing into one another without breaks.

Composition History

Brahms's Double Concerto for violin and cello, his last orchestral work, was written in 1887 as a gesture of reconciliation with his old friend, violinist Josef Joachim.

Performer Biography

Antonio Meneses, the cellist, won first prize at the ARD International Competition in Munich in 1977 and the gold medal at the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1982.

Composition History

Beethoven's Fifth and Sixth Symphonies were composed in parallel during 1807-1808 and premiered together on December 22, 1808, with Beethoven himself conducting.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Beethoven titled his Sixth Symphony "Sinfonia pastorale" and provided descriptive German titles for its movements, but he cautioned against overly literal interpretation, stating it was "More the expression of sensation than a depiction."