Unless one lived in a major European center with an orchestra, the opportunity to hear large-scale works by the great composers of the age was well-nigh impossible. The insatiable demand for new chamber versions of famed orchestral works saw Hummel ar-ranging Beethoven's SymphoniesNos.2and 6'Pastoral'not long after the great composer's death. Hummel approached his task with great care, bringing a fresh perspective to the works in his sensitive and compelling chamber music configurations. Hummel's arrangements of SymphoniesNos.1and 3'Eroica'can be heard on 8.574039.