Nikolaus Harnoncourt - Beethoven: 9 Symphonies (2006)

When it was first released in 1991, this set created a furor. Nikolaus Harnoncourt is famous as one of the pioneers of the "authentic instrument" movement, but he is also a musician of deep insight and strong, sometimes willful, interpretive gifts. He opts here for modern instruments played in period style for strings and winds, but mixes them with antique brass and percussion. The result is a truly fresh look at Beethoven that has worn well over time. Harnoncourt naturally excels in the early works--the ones closest to his 18th-century period of specialization. But he succeeds equally in the Big Conductor Test pieces, like the Fifth and Seventh. The performances of the Sixth and Ninth are more controversial, one being extremely relaxed (it is the Pastoral symphony after all), the other a bit lightweight. The sum total, however, remains a major statement by one of the most provocative and important conductors of our time. -- David Hurwitz