Customer Reviews

Beethoven - Symphonies 1, 6, and 8 / Claudio Abbado, Berlin Philharmonic

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
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These interpretations are a solid balace of Romanticism and modern aesthetics concerning Beethoven. One measure of my Beethoven (if you'll forgive the personal reference) is whether or not in the 6th the flute is free and flying or muffled amid chaos. The BPO balance it beautifully. This is Beethoven at its best; however...

I am working on getting my 3rd DVD of this, the result of skips and stops that appear no matter if their played on PC or DVD player. Amazon has indicated that others are experiencing the same problem, so I would advise that this not be purchased from a source that would hesitate to offer a refund/exchange.

It is memorable MUSICAL performance, very balanced and inspiring. There's something that I don't like about all concert DVDs and it is boring camera work. It is VERY rare when production brings really relevant overview of what is going on in orchestra. In the world where most of the camera people couldn't even name the instrument in orchestra there's a little change they could follow the piece. As a result all concert DVDs show violinist when viola is playing and bassoon player when oboe is sounding. . The worst in this regard is Sony's recordings of Karajan as the camera work is so out of place, the whole performance looks like a workout. If you really want to enjoy Beethoven, try Beethoven Symphonies 1,2,3,4,5,6 and Art Galleries of the Time, 2DVDs+3CDs Ultimate MosaicDVD Collection. It is not concert performance but it is completely different sort of experience, much superior emotionally.