The Beethoven Orchestra Bonn, the legitimate successor of the original 18th century Hofkapelle, recreates the atmosphere of courtly musical culture from Beethoven's youth, when aristocratic dilettantes and travelling soloists shared the stage with young virtuosos. Volume 2, with works by Anton Reicha, Andreas Romberg and Paul Wineberger in three dimensional 2+2+2 format, immerses the listener in the natural acoustics of the original concert hall where these pieces were once premiered.

The reigning taste was for the newest and most challenging repertoire, which confirmed the reputedly sleepy provincial Rhineland as a centre for the avant-garde. Concertmaster Mikhael Ovrutsky performs the highly virtuosic solo part with captivating brilliance. The orchestral accompaniment is full of lovingly crafted details, all executed with artistic conviction and a keen sense of proportion under the baton of Dirk Kaftan.

Paul Wineberger was so impressed by the world-class quality of the orchestra that wrote half a dozen symphonies for them. His D Major Symphony includes several virtuosic solo passages for the wind players of the Hofkapelle to showcase their amazing individual abilities. The piece is also distinguished by its rich orchestral sound and its experimental formal approach. Here it is performed again by the Beethoven Orchestra Bonn for the first time in over 200 years.

The music library of Habsburg Elector Maximilian Franz comprised some 3,500 titles and was thus considerably more extensive than that of his brother Joseph at the Viennese Court. One of the most radical pieces of the collection is the introduction to Reicha's "Grande Overture". The melodic twists and harmonic progressions are so bold that it would have been considered hypermodern even in Paris in the 1840's! This is followed by something truly unorthodox - the extended Allegro is in 5/8 time throughout!