Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 8 / Akademie Fur Alte Musik Berlin [2 CDs]

The least famous of Beethoven's symphonies? Yet these two works are genuine tours de force: the composer takes the listener on a journey whose destination never seems to be known in advance. This recording is also an opportunity to discover just how clearly Cherubini's music prefigured that of Beethoven, whereas Méhul's symphony is a response à la française to the German composer. (Harmonia Mundi)