Ludwig van Beethoven: The Complete Symphonies – Gianandrea Noseda

The culmination of five digital releases, the National Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Gianandrea Noseda conclude their journey through Beethoven’s complete symphonies, releasing the complete set.

“Beethoven’s voice is as fresh and powerful today as it was when he created those masterpieces,” said Noseda. “To approach Beethoven is a journey. You know you are starting the journey, but you never know where the journey will take you. With Beethoven, any moment is a discovery.”

Capturing the complete Beethoven Symphonies was a multi-year project, with the performances and recordings spanning the NSO’s 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 seasons. The recordings of Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3 were released in 2022, followed by Nos. 4 & 5, 6 & 8, and 2 & 7 in 2023. Symphony No. 9 was recorded with special guest artists, soprano Camilla Tilling, mezzo-soprano Kelley O’Connor, tenor Issachah Savage, bass-baritone Ryan McKinny, and the Washington Chorus.

The SACD box set includes cover art by the Kennedy Center’s first Artist-in-Residence, Mo Willems. In creating the Beethoven Abstracted designs for the cover art, Willems said, “I got to know Beethoven in a new way. When you listen to a symphony you are invited into a dialogue with its creator. I had the opportunity to see his technique change over his career and to feel the journey of his musical notes.”

Also included in the box set are two Pure Audio Blu-ray discs that contain all symphonies and a bonus video of No. 9.

‘Beethoven: Complete Symphonies’ continues the legacy of the NSO’s rich recording history, which began in the 1940s. Under its own label the NSO released a pairing of Copland’s Suite from Billy the Kid and Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9, ‘From the New World’, in 2020, and the complete George Walker Sinfonias in September of 2023.

For its achievement in performances and recordings, the NSO was nominated for the 2023 Gramophone Orchestra Of The Year Award.

Seven discs in carton sleeves, with booklet, in clamshell digibox. Booklet notes in English and Spanish.