There’s always room to be surprised by Beethoven. In recent years, for instance, MuiscAeterna and conductor Teodor Currentzis have given electric performances of several symphonies, emphasising their weird and wild qualities. For his new symphony cycle, conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin has said he aims to make the audience feel as if they were hearing the music for the first time. It’s an admirable goal.

The great pity, then, is how bland the Canadian conductor’s interpretations are. Sure, there is a newsworthy aspect to this Deutsche Grammophon set. It’s the first to use the new critical edition of the scores, most audible in the Ninth Symphony in which the second movement repeats are revised and the contrabassoon’s role is restored in the finale. For that reason alone, this recording, made in clean sound, is of interest. The flawless playing of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, who first recorded the symphonies with Nikolas Harnoncourt 30 years ago, is another draw.

But it’s hard to fathom what Nézet-Séguin is trying to say or express. His take is rather pristine and surface-level: string articulation is neat and crisp; the bright brass...