The best of Beethoven

Beethoven, Ludwig van

Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67: I. Allegro con brio 1. Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67: I. Allegro con brio 00:05:34 

Bagatelle in A minor, WoO 23, "Fur Elise"
2. Bagatelle in A minor, WoO 23, "Fur Elise" 00:03:09

Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 55, "Eroica": III. Scherzo: Allegro vivace
3. Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 55, "Eroica": III. Scherzo: Allegro vivace 00:05:57

Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13, "Pathetique": II. Adagio cantabile
4. Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13, "Pathetique": II. Adagio cantabile 00:04:46

Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61: III. Rondo: Allegro
5. Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61: III. Rondo: Allegro 00:11:16

Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 27, No. 2, "Moonlight": I. Adagio sostenuto
6. Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 27, No. 2, "Moonlight": I. Adagio sostenuto 00:05:19

Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, "Pastoral": I. Pleasant, cheerful feelings aroused on approaching the countryside: Allegro ma non troppo
7. Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, "Pastoral": I. Pleasant, cheerful feelings aroused on approaching the countryside: Allegro ma non troppo 00:11:05

Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat major, Op. 73, "Emperor": III. Rondo: Allegro
8. Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat major, Op. 73, "Emperor": III. Rondo: Allegro 00:10:04

Egmont Overture
9. Egmont Overture 00:08:26 

Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, "Choral": IV. Finale: Presto - Allegro assai
10. Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, "Choral": IV. Finale: Presto - Allegro assai (excerpt) 00:13:51

Total Playing Time: 01:19:27

Almost 80 minutes of indispensable Beethoven have been packed into the very best of The Best of Beethoven. It includes excerpts from the Beethoven symphony cycle from Béla Drahos that is the talking point of the music world, the BBC Music Magazine - the world's largest selling music magazine - advising anyone starting a Beethoven symphony collection to buy this stunning new one from Naxos.

We should just point out that the Ninth Symphony excerpt comes from our raw, but red-blooded, recording made in Zagreb in the early days of Naxos, of which the Penguin Guide were happy to recommend for the "fresh-toned chorus and good soloists".

Jenö Jandó is the soloist in the Piano Sonatas, his performance of the "Moonlight" being a great classic among the very many CD versions, while the Violin Concerto is in the hands of another popular Naxos artist, Takako Nishizaki, the Gramophone describing her as having a "silvery timbre and immaculate style".

Stefan Vladar is one of today's pianists most in demand, and his recording of the Fifth Piano Concerto was hailed as a masterpiece, Gramophone describing it as "dramatic and fresh", while Music and Musicians thought that no other version had "such a beautiful central movement".