Album: Beethoven, Symphonies 5 & 6 / Antonini (Sony)

In the 17 years since Frans Brüggen completed his still-thrilling Beethoven Cycle, the most vivid recordings have been period-modern hybrids.

Only lately have two young conductors come out fighting for period instruments: Emmanuel Krivine with La Chambre Philharmonique and Giovanni Antonini with the Kammerorchester Basel. Antonini's Beethoven is predictably lithe and tangy, its uniqueness discernable. To the standard euphoria and exhilaration, he adds wonderment and gratitude.