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Beethoven's Ninth Symphony (1827) went so far beyond anything in music at that time--in length (over an hour), in use of soloists and chorus in its last movement, in its profusion of musical ideas--that its effects are still being felt today. (Any composer embarking on his own Symphony No. 9 can't help but be aware of the giant shadow hanging over him.) But since it is also one of the most familiar works in the repertory, it takes a special performance to overcome a nagging feeling of "again?" Unfortunately, this 1991 concert is not such a special event. While conductor Kurt Masur is certainly in his element leading the Gewandhaus Orchestra and Chorus and the Leipzig Radio Chorus, and the four able soloists--soprano Venceslava Hruba-Freiberger, mezzo Doris Soffel, tenor James Wagner, and bass Gwynne Howell--hit their marks perfectly, this is not a transcendent Ninth. Every note, every emotion, every movement is smoothly articulated, but perhaps too smoothly. Maestro Masur seems content to ride over the rough edges of this sprawling, epic, once-revolutionary symphony, and the result is a sightseeing trip to a place the listener has been many times before. --Kevin Filipski
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