Yes Peter, I can understand your antipathy towards it for the reason stated.
The Adagio is a little too fast for my taste too, but I'm prepared to "put up" with this because of the insights gained in the other movements. I just love the clarity of period instrument performances, but this has vitality and energy that many others I have heard have not. I loved Norrington's too, BTW. But I feel this symphony has, in the past, been done a disservice in the hands of great big orchestras with overblown romantic readings. Also, too slow. For many years I felt so irritated as to avoid it altogether, and Gardiner and Norrington come along and, voila, the thing is re-energized. And the symphony has been dogged by extra-musical values which I'm sure Beethoven wouldn't agree with - i.e. advertising, nationalism, "events". I want to love it on its own terms!!
The Adagio is a little too fast for my taste too, but I'm prepared to "put up" with this because of the insights gained in the other movements. I just love the clarity of period instrument performances, but this has vitality and energy that many others I have heard have not. I loved Norrington's too, BTW. But I feel this symphony has, in the past, been done a disservice in the hands of great big orchestras with overblown romantic readings. Also, too slow. For many years I felt so irritated as to avoid it altogether, and Gardiner and Norrington come along and, voila, the thing is re-energized. And the symphony has been dogged by extra-musical values which I'm sure Beethoven wouldn't agree with - i.e. advertising, nationalism, "events". I want to love it on its own terms!!
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