Symphony No 6 / Fantasia for Piano & Orch Op 80
A great performance of theChoral Fantasyis, unfortunately,  shackled to a tepid version of the Sixth Symphony. Claudio Abbado's Beethoven is  highly variable, and this performance more or less sets the tone for most of the  performances in his symphony cycle: some beautiful playing, a dull slow movement  and finale, and a general sense of routine despite fine moments. Abbado seems to  have gone to sleep with his interpretations, but there's no reason that you  should too.--David Hurwitz