Danish Chamber Orchestra

Danish Chamber Orchestra & Ádám Fischer – Haydn: Late Symphonies, Vol. 2 (2023) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · November 11, 2023 · Comments off

The second volume in this series is devoted to three more ‘London’ symphonies. No. 96 in D major ‘The Miracle’ – so named, as the legend goes, after a falling chandelier narrowly missed the audience during its Hanover Square Rooms premiere – exemplifies the grandeur of these works. The structural surprises of No. 97 in C major and the hymnal slow movement of No. 98 in B flat major reinforce Haydn’s inexhaustible compositional versatility and inventiveness. These recordings are the product of a two-decade partnership between Adam Fischer and the Danish Chamber Orchestra during which they have explored the most effective technical solutions necessary for performing these works.

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Adam Fischer, Danish Chamber Orchestra – Beethoven: Complete Symphonies (2019) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · December 5, 2022 · Comments off

Beethoven‘s symphonies pose without any doubt one of the greatest artistic challenges to every conductor. Of the countless questions about what an authentic interpretation means, I am addressing only one here, namely the problem of Beethoven’s metronome markings. As we know, the first metronomes were built in Vienna during Beethoven’s lifetime and he did then give metronome markings to his pieces (retrospectively in most cases).

For generations, the musical world has debated the subject of how to approach these metronome markings and to what extent a close adherence to Beethoven’s tempi must form an integral part of a faithful rendering of Beethoven’s work. In my student days it was still generally believed that Beethoven’s metronome was faulty, on the grounds that the tempi were too fast and unplayable. So, the markings had to be wrong. Later, especially with the advent of period instrument ensembles, some recordings were made which were unwavering in their strict adherence to Beethoven’s tempi, for better or worse so to speak.

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Danish Chamber Orchestra & Ádám Fischer – Brahms: Complete Symphonies (2022) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · September 24, 2022 · Comments off

Brahms was 43 years old when, after a long period of maturation, his First Symphony was published. Felix Weingartner commented on it ‘taking hold like the claw of a lion’ and its urgency marked a new phase in Brahms’ musical development. The Second Symphony is traditionally seen as the pastoral element in the cycle, while the Third, with its melodic beauty, has the courage to end quietly, an act of astonishing serenity. The compelling Passacaglia finale of the Fourth Symphony represents a fitting summation to one of the greatest symphonic cycles in the classical canon.

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