Sony Classical released the Teodor Currentzis version of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony on April 3, but only online.
In the thick of Covid lockdown, it received limited attention. No date has yet been given for releasing the physical product. Could Sony be having second thoughts?
The tempi are suicidal and the fermata so abrupt they might have been guillotined.
You can experience samples of the symphony below or listen to the whole work on Idagio here.
Admirers of Currentzis at his most provocative, impulsive and downright f-u are already comparing him to Furtwängler. Myself, I find the Andante aesthetically offensive and the rest mostly annoying.
The Brooklyn Academy of Music is mourning its board chair, Adam E. Max, who died on Monday of a rapid bile duct cancer.
Adam, who was 62, had been on the board since 2003. A partner at a private equity firm, he and his wife had received a season’s membership of BAM as a wedding gift.
BAM President Katy Clark said, ‘Adam’s passing is a profound and untimely loss and we extend our deepest sympathies to Diane and their family. Adam was voracious in his appetite for solving problems and dreaming big. His knowledge and acumen were integral to plans to weather the impact of COVID-19 and his guidance will continue to inform our thinking and practice. Adam’s devotion and generosity were deep, and his mark on our organization will have lasting resonance.’
