Each symphony has its surprises, but it's the 9th -- released first of all the symphonies in 1987 -- that blows one's mind. For years I had thought that you had to put up with a lot to get to the finale. But when I heard Norrington's first movement, I had this sensation that I was hearing the piece performed correctly for the first time. It was a sense of absolute rightness.
At quarter note = 88, the first movement is much faster than I had ever heard it. At that speed, Beethoven grabs you by the scruff of the neck, drags you up mountains, down valleys and ravines, and 14 minutes later you're black and blue and covered with blood -- but you feel great! It takes your breath away.
The surprise in the scherzo is that -- if you follow Beethoven's metronome markings -- the trio is slower than usually performed. At this speed, the winds function as a choir, and the flute line is pristine.
The slow movement is marked at quarter note = 60, and at that speed the movement doesn't drag, it dances.
The finale has many surprises. Much of it is faster than traditional performances, but the Turkish music section is much slower. But it's a correct non-military marching pace.
In his late Forties, Beethoven sent away to the publishing firm of Salomen in London for a very expensive edition of the collect works of Handel. This marked a milestone in Beethoven's output and a change of direction. Beethoven now took a much greater interest in counterpoint, and fugues start popping up all over the place.
In the 9th, the shock comes at the end of the development just before the recap. At the traditional faster speed, this part tends to sound manic. But at the slower dotted quarter note = 84 speed, this passage under Norrington's baton becomes a German country dance. Think of sheperdesses dancing in circles inside a barn. The hair on my neck actally stood on end the first time I heard this passage.
At the end of the recap, when the "Seid umschlungen, Millionen" choral passage begins, the strings take up an accomponiment that is pure Handel -- if you take it at Beethoven's faster-than-traditional speed.
The end of the piece is marked slower than the usual traditional speed, and at that speed the timpani, beaten with leather rather than velvet sticks, sound like military drums right off the battlefield.
Each symphony has its surprises. If I'm stuck on a desert island, Norringont's is the collection I want to have at hand.
hmmpphhh! They're offering your Norrington 9th for a penny at Amazon. Thanks for the tip; there is also a boxed set of the nine symphonies for $33.