Because the
Netherlands Symphony Orchestra is a modern orchestra that on first sight wouldn't be mistaken for a period ensemble, it might come as a surprise that its recordings of
Ludwig van Beethoven's symphonies with conductor
Jan Willem de Vriend sound quite a bit like fully fledged period performances. To the extent this group produces Classical sonorities, albeit on modern instruments (except in the case of the original 18th and 19th century brass they use), and borrows authentic practices from historical scholarship, a random excerpt test could fool any expert. This isn't to say that the tempos are necessarily faster than they are traditionally played in the Symphony No. 7 in A major or the Symphony No. 8 in F major, or that the approach to
Beethoven's music has become fussy or rarefied in their hands. However,
de Vriend, a musicologist who also leads the early music ensemble
Combattimento Consort Amsterdam, gives these works robust energy, sharp attacks, crisp rhythms, and some tone colors that are simply remarkable. The horns have a marvelous brusqueness, especially when stopped, the timpani are startling with the hard mallets, and the strings frequently shine with the silvery tone that comes from playing senza vibrato. These world-class performances were brilliantly recorded in the SACD surround sound format, so the music is captured in its wide dynamic range and spacious acoustics.