Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.

Abbado has been in semi-permanent revolt against the Italian school of Beethoven interpretation. In these vibrant Rome performances he achieves an intensity of effect his hero Furtwängler just might ...

We’re ready for more from the 39 year-old composer. Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 was still “Pastoral” but it had a fresh and stirring velocity. No longer did the music evoke lounging by the ...