Philippe Jordan, Beethoven Symphonies

Swiss maestro Philippe Jordan’s Beethoven cycle with the Wiener Symphoniker – set to culminate with Beethoven’s 250th anniversary year in 2020 – has reached its third instalment, Jordan pairing the Second and the Seventh in another lean, effective recording live from the Musikverein in Vienna.

The crisp chord that opens Beethoven’s Second lifts the curtain on a honed, detailed recording, the Allegro con brio buzzing with elegant life, before the gentle lyricism of the Larghetto. The Scherzo dances elegantly while the finale fizzes effervescently.

Balancing the Second is the broader Seventh, Jordan drawing out the first movement in expansive sweeps. The Allegretto, by contrast, is brisk – it’s a lick faster than Harnoncourt’s reading with the Chamber...