This outstanding five-disc set includes the first 8 of Beethoven’s symphonies, as well as his “Coriolan” and “Egmont” Overtures. All of these works are performed by the Filarmonica della Scala, conducted by Carlo Maria Giulini. Giulini studied at Italy’s finest conservatory at the time, the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome. Giulini gained a reputation as a masterful conductor of opera. He was also a noted interpreter of Beethoven.

REVIEW:

This is a throwback to an older style of Beethoven playing…The sound is massive, full, and beautifully blended… [The performances] have a wonderfully spacious quality, and the slowish tempi allow the inner parts to sound with unusual clarity.

-- BBC Music Magazine