“Thomas Dausgaard's Beethoven Eighth crackles with life and makes an enthusiastic play for the score's zanier elements ... All in all, a fine programme — one that maintains the series' generally high standard thus far.

"... it's like driving a Beethoven Porsche: strap yourself in, start the engine, and let her rip."

This is volume 9 of a series of Beethoven´s complete orchestral works. First up is the Eighth Symphony and you won´t find a performance anywhere with more clarity and bite. Dausgaard really takes to heart Beethoven´s first movement tempo directions of quick, lively and fiery. The crisp accents throughout and freshness of the strings is a joy ... To the second movement Allegretto scherzando Dausgaard brings an elegant deftness. He has clearly decided the movement needs no special pleading and plays it straight. So it starts light, soft, dainty and petite with the first of many such surprises when it suddenly gets loud at 0:24, with clear but not overdone dynamic contrasts ... Dausgaard´s treatment of the third movement Minuet is even more of a revelation. I´ve seen it described as grand or stately and considered somewhat quaint. Not here. Dausgaard keeps it flowing, with just light application of the sforzandi, those sudden accented chords, at the very opening and generally something of a swing. By the second section there´s a bounce in the sforzandi, then a smiling bassoon solo and buoyant trumpets and horns´ eruption towards the end. The Trio has the intimacy of chamber music and individuality of expression, so you get involved in the developing dialogue between horns and clarinet set off by the busy but lightly articulated cellos´ backcloth.  A sense of bold experiment pervades Dausgaard´s finale, of pushing both music and mood beyond expected bounds. ...  Overall Dausgaard reveals here a good deal of the wild and unexpected elements of the seventh symphony finale.

An enlightening CD of fresh performances and stimulating contrasts, through which you discover an unexpected masterpiece, the Eighth Symphony.