Recordings

Harding is the most aggressively cherished heir to Simon Rattle’s mantle as British wunderkind to come along in some time, and it is not hard to hear why on this disc. These are not the complete Beethoven overtures, of course, and the selection could be questioned--why both “Lenore” II and III, and why the innocuous “Ruins of Athens” rather than the characterful “King Stephan,” if an assemblage of Beethovenian heroes is the object? But what can’t be questioned is the vivacity and intelligence of the performances. Harding likes these pieces light, quick and clear; listen to the crisp detail of the “Lenore” III close, as exultant as any but uncommonly clarified. Though the strings can occasionally sound a bit thin, the chamber orchestra gives an exciting, vivid and accomplished execution of his ideas.