Simon Rattle conducts Beethoven’s Symphonies The acclaimed cycle on CD, Blu-ray and SACD

Available versions

Recordings of all the Beethoven symphonies with their chief conductor are always a milestone in the artistic work of the Berliner Philharmoniker. So it was with Herbert von Karajan and Claudio Abbado, and expectations are correspondingly high for this cycle conducted by Sir Simon Rattle. Where does the special status of these symphonies come from? Simon Rattle has an explanation: “One of the things Beethoven does is to give you a mirror into yourself – where you are now as a musician.” In fact, this music contains such a wealth of extreme emotions and brilliant compositional ideas that reveal the qualities of the orchestra and its conductor as if under a magnifying glass.

more ...

On his personal approach to the performances, Sir Simon said, “You can make Beethoven too sophisticated or too elegant, you can clean him up too much. You can try to make him agree with himself when often he’s fighting with himself. I have the feeling probably that the more plain-spoken this music is, the better it is. And one knows with this orchestra, when you say ʻwill you joyfully motor this machine off the clifftop?ʼ, everybody says ʻof course we willʼ.” The concerts in which the Berliner Philharmoniker and their chief presented the symphonies in the Philharmonie in October 2015 were as thrilling as this suggests. The virtuosity of the works was revealed as impressively as their revolutionary energy. Performances in Paris, Vienna and New York followed and were rewarded with standing ovations from audiences.

The exclusive hardocer edition contains the cycle on five CDs plus three Blu-ray discs as HD video, in uncompressed audio resolution and DTS surround sound. Its many extras include a video introduction with Sir Simon Rattle and a documentary about the making of recordings with many interviews and glimpses behind-the-scenes. 

show fewer details

Diapason d'Or Award Winner
Content
Berliner Philharmoniker
Sir Simon Rattle Conductor
 
Ludwig van Beethoven
 
Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21
Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 36
Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 55 “Eroica”
Symphony No. 4 in B flat major, Op. 60
Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67
Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68 “Pastoral”
Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92
Symphony No. 8 in F major, Op. 93
Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 with
Final Chorus “Ode to Joy”
 
Annette Dasch Soprano
Eva Vogel Mezzo-Soprano
Christian Elsner Tenor
Dimitry Ivashchenko Bass
Rundfunkchor Berlin
Simon Halsey Chorus Master
 
Recorded at the Berlin Philharmonie in October 2015
 
Bonus (CD & Blu-ray edition)
· Documentary: “Living with Beethoven”
  The nine symphonies with the Berliner Philharmoniker and Sir Simon Rattle
· Introduction: Sir Simon Rattle talks about Beethoven's Symphonies
 
Pre-listening

Available versions

  • CD & Blu-ray

    Simon Rattle conducts Beethoven

    5 CD + 3 Blu-ray + download / hardcover edition

    show details

    CD 1–5
    Symphonies Nos. 1–9

    Pure Audio Blu-ray Disc
    All recordings in Pure Audio 24-bit / 96 kHz
    
Running time: 344 mins
    
(2.0 PCM Stereo · 5.1 DTS-HD MA)

    2 Video Blu-ray Disc
    Symphonies Nos. 1–9 in High Definition Video
    
Running time: 397 mins

    Bonus videos
    · “Living with Beethoven” The nine symphonies with the Berliner Philharmoniker and Sir Simon Rattle (45 mins)
    · Sir Simon Rattle talks about Beethoven's Symphonies (49 mins)

    
Full HD 16:9 / PCM Stereo · 5.0 Surround DTS-HD, Region Code: ABC (worldwide)

    Accompanying booklet
    
76 pages / German, English

    Download Code
    
For high resolution audio files of
    
the entire album (24-bit / up to 192 kHz)

    Digital Concert Hall
    7- Day Ticket for the Berliner Philharmoniker’s
    virtual concert hall

    show fewer details

    US$ 79.00
    Excl. shipping
  • CD (Hybrid-SACD)

    Sir Simon Rattle conducts Beethoven’s Symphonies

    5 CD (Hybrid-SACD)

    show details

    Playable on any CD/SACD player

    CD / SACD 1–5
    Symphonies Nos. 1–9
    Running time: 343 mins

    Audio format
    CD Stereo
    SACD Stereo
    (higher resolution, requires SACD player)
    SACD Surround
    (requires SACD player and surround system)

    Booklet
    76 pages

    Packaging
    Hardcover Box Set

    show fewer details

    US$ 39.00
    Excl. shipping
  • Download

    Simon Rattle conducts Beethoven’s Symphonies Nos 1–9

    24-bit Download

    show details

    Provided Formats
    Stereo 24/96 [FLAC / WAV]
    Stereo 24/192 [FLAC / WAV]
    5.0 Surround 24/96 [FLAC]
    5.0 Surround 24/192 [FLAC]


    Digital Booklet
    
76 pages / German, English

    show fewer details

    US$ 39.00
    Excl. shipping

Video trailer


Download on iTunes