Review Text
To mark their 30th Anniversary, Britten Sinfonia and Thomas Adès are releasing their acclaimed Beethoven and Barry cycle as a box set. The works were recorded between 2017 and 2019 at Barbican Hall, London and Theatre Royal, Brighton. Thomas Adès: "This collection is the fruit of two parallel passions. After twenty years of performing and often premiering Gerald Barry's works, I was frantic to record as much of it as possible. I had also loved working on Beethoven Symphonies with Britten Sinfonia, and suddenly an idea was born: why not dare the two firebrands to join hands? As soon as this idea took hold, everything fell into place. I believe Ludwig van Beethoven must be treated as a living composer, and I find Gerald's music to be entirely classic. So the two complement each other ideally." Gerald Barry: "Tom Adès decided on this pairing. It startled me. The first record I bought when I was about 13 was Beethoven's Emperor Concerto. We didn't have a record player so all I could do was study the cover and advertisements on the back. I could look and see but not hear. I would take the record out and smell it. I used my nose as a stylus going round and round."
