Deep serenity: Beethoven's Symphony No. 2 with Paavo Järvi and the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich.
You can't tell from Beethoven's Symphony No. 2 that it was composed during a difficult time. In the same year as this ostensibly cheerful work, the composer wrote the "Heiligenstadt Testament", which shows how desperate he was because of his increasing deafness. But there is no contradiction here; the music is simply further proof of how absolutely Beethoven pursued his artistic ambitions. This music sounds lyrical and rugged, elegant and sarcastic; the positive basic tone is always given a double bottom. And even if it is no longer easy for today's ears to comprehend: for Beethoven's contemporaries, this symphony was completely new - "a strange, colossal work", as one critic wrote at the time.
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich
Paavo Järvi Music Director
Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 2 in D major op. 36
Recording from 20 – 22 September 2023, Tonhalle Zurich
Concert supported by the Hans Imholz-Stiftung
Recording supported by the Elisabeth Weber-Stiftung
Here you will find further concert recordings of the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich.
