Album: Beethoven, Symphony No 3 – Eroica – Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra/Manze (AHarmonia Mundi)

Some slippery moments in the opening and closing movements do little to detract from this reading of Beethoven's Eroica Symphony from Andrew Manze and the Helsingborg SO. This is Manze's debut recording as a conductor and though the attack is occasionally clumsy, he succeeds in making the music new. Radical rubato, violent coups d'archets, beautiful woodwind detailing, and a strikingly slow "Marche funèbre" contribute to a sense of freshness and dynamism, while the "12 Contretänze" and the finale of "Die Geschöpfe des Prometheus" illustrate how one modest melody ignited a music revolution.

Download this: Manze's super-slow 'Marche funèbre'