Gramophone Magazine
April 2021
Editor's Choice
BBC Music Magazine
May 2021
Recording of the Month
After a successful trilogy devoted to the concertos and trios of Schumann, Freiburger Barockorchester and Pablo Heras-Casado could not ignore one of Beethoven's most unusual works: the Triple Concerto. Alongside Isabelle Faust, Jean-Guihen Queyras and Alexander Melnikov, they bring this score to life as only true chamber musicians can, revealing it's subtlest colors and balances. The trio transcription of the Second Symphony, which was supervised by the composer himself, judiciously completes this exploration of lesser-known Beethoven, in which intimacy mingles with grandeur.
"There’s no question of a timid approach, and the clean timbre of the period instruments is echoed by the soloists, entering one by one. Especially fetching is the empathy between Faust and Queyras, with total mutual understanding of phrasing and rubato...All in all this really is an outstanding recording." - BBC Music Magazine, May 2021.