Abbado – Beethoven: Symphonies 2 & 5 (2002)

Claudio Abbado famously said he never stops learning with Beethoven, and for 75 years, the Milan maestro has continually revisited the works of the composer. His performance and recording of all nine Beethoven Symphonies at the Academia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome were hailed by the Italian newspaper La Repubblica as "the most wonderful symphonic cycle of the past decade." Each symphony is a masterpiece, reflecting Beethoven's evolving musical style. From the well-known Pastoral to the popular Ninth, and including lesser-heard works like the Fourth and Seventh, which foreshadowed Romanticism, Abbado’s interpretations are the result of a lifetime dedicated to Beethoven.