A notable addition to the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks Beethoven symphony cycles, chief conductor Mariss Jansons transforms the cycle concept in several regards with these live performances recorded in Tokyo's Suntory Hall renown for it's dazzling acoustics. Beethoven's first two symphonies are interlaced with commissions from contemporary composers Misato Mochizuki (born Tokyo, 1969) and Johannes Maria Staud from Austria (born 1974), both of whom were asked to contribute their own musical reflections on Beethoven's symphonies. Praised during the Japanese tour for his "new, modern and transparent-sounding Beethoven", Jansons proves both the enduring endless power of early Beethoven including the continuing inspiration that contemporary composers draw from.