Beethoven in Pocketsize - Symphony No. 2 by soloists of Anima Eterna Brugge - trailer
Gent Festival van Vlaanderen invited all the large Belgian orchestras to perform all nine symphonies by Ludwig van Beethoven at the Festival with an adapted line-up.
For the second symphony, numbers are reduced to the favourite line-up of the piano trio. None other than Jos van Immerseel takes his place behind the pianoforte. Accompanied by Midori Seiler on violin and Mercedes Ruiz on cello, he flies the flag for Anima Eterna, the orchestra that has performed the nine symphonies in full numerous times, and which is unparalleled in the mastery of their specific idiom and the corresponding instrumentation. The arrangement that they play was created shortly after the symphony was composed, and according to the title page is by the author himself. This was probably a sales trick, because there are indications that Beethoven’s pupil Ferdinand Ries was responsible for the lion’s share of the work, and that Beethoven only supplied the finishing touches.