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The performance of the Fourth Symphony opens with an expansive, lugubrious Adagio, which effectively establishes a somber, melancholy mood, heightening the transition to the Allegro vivace, which is all the brighter by contrast—sprightly, energetic but not overly muscular; Boyd is sensitive to Beethoven’s playfulness as well as his vigor. Beethoven’s most assertive slow movement receives a dramatic, if somewhat fastidious, reading: the conductor sacrifices some power for precision, but captures the spirit of the music. This is followed by an Allegro vivace that is high-spirited and animated, its repeats intact. The finale revisits the powerfully playful mood of the opening Allegro; the Manchester orchestra turns in a bravura performance.
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