BEETHOVEN: SYMPHONY NO. 6. Guenter Wand conducts...

BEETHOVEN: SYMPHONY NO. 6. Guenter Wand conducts NDR Symphony of Hamburg. EMI compact disc 7 47526 2. The recorded sound, as polished and high-tech as the disc itself, reveals every detail of the score. It also exposes Wand’s generally pedestrian approach to the “Pastorale.” Though the first movement radiates a warmth reminiscent of Bruno Walter, the rest of the work emerges uneventful, rushed and charmless. The brook merely flows, rather than meanders; the peasants dutifully dance rather than cavort; the storm and shepherd’s song simply come and go without causing a ripple in the emotions--though the thunder has rarely sounded as menacing.