Beethoven/Symphony 9
Navona, 2021
8/10
Listen to Beethoven/Symphony 9
A very daring effort from Eliane Rodrigues and Nina Smeets, the pair bring grand pianos with them as they take inspiration from a transcription from the composer Frank Liszt and interpret Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.
“Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso” opens the listen, and brings the warm, complicated keys into much atmosphere, tension and dark beauty that flows with incredible precision, and “Molto vivace” follows with dancing keys amid a low rumbling of mystery and elegance.
The back half offers the intimate and gorgeous “Adagio molto e cantabile”, where the keystrokes are just so delicate and emotional, while “Finale” is a firm, even abrasive 29+ minutes of exploration that can retreat to calm and also burst with loud bouts, too.
Rodrigues and Smeets are actually mother and daughter, and that familial bond certainly strengthens their chemistry as they put a very inimitable spin on these classic works.
Travels well with: Duo Dramatique- Crossroads: Modern American Works For Violin & Piano; Stanley Grill- Remember