No sooner had Thomas Fey begun a complete Haydn Symphony cycle than the first volume of his Beethoven cycle is released. And it’s bloody great! Yes, there are more Beethoven cycles out there than functioning payphones (remember them?), including others by conductors who hail from the period performance side of the Beethovenian tracks. But Fey not only is a first class musician; he’s a vibrant interpreter with a mind of his own, and something to say. He favors period percussion, winds, and brass for their pungent, cutting-edge sound, while opting for a modern string section’s flexibility of tone and projection. Once past the introduction, the First Symphony’s opening movement takes off at a near-breakneck, opera buffa clip yet with no sacrifice in control or articulation. The Andante is graceful and transparent, while the lithe Scherzo dances rather than hurls forward.
By contrast, Fey unravels the Second Symphony in broader brushstrokes and richer orchestral colors. Unlike many conductors, he doesn’t misread the slow movement’s Larghetto marking as an andante, and achieves a spooky, glass-harmonica type of sound from the massed strings, who’ve checked their collective vibrato at the studio door. The scherzo has big bones and lilting accents, while the finale pushes ahead in a relentless, yet non-rushing surge of orchestral energy. These characterful performances are also exceedingly well recorded. Few Beethoven cycles have gotten off to as exciting and heady a start as this one. Bring on the Eroica!
