Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 7 - Gustavo Dudamel Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela

I bought this after seeing the orchestra at the Henry Wood Proms, where they did a sensational concert which was greeted with wild applause, cheers and foot-stamping. It's brave of Dudamel to come up with this coupling, and on the whole it works. The orchestra as listed is huge, and if they all played, the ensemble and precision are remarkable. There is some very good solo playing, particularly from woodwind, and the recording is fine. The inner parts in the strings are sonorous and clearly defined and the bass line is always powerful and purposeful. Speeds are mostly conventional, though the final movement of the 7th. Symphony is very fast indeed. There is some most ...  Read the complete review