In recording Ludwig van Beethoven's nine symphonies with the SWR Radio Symphony Orchestra Stuttgart, its principal conductor Sir Roger Norrington presented a summary of his life-long work with the composer's music. He applied the insights of historically informed performance to a modern symphony orchestra. For Norrington, historically informed performance does not mean making exclusive use of historical instruments, but includes remaining as faithful as possible to phrasing, articulation and dynamics, and following the tempi prescribed by Beethoven himself.