record store Archive

*********** BEETHOVEN: The Nine Symphonies – Karajan ********** DGG audio-only Blu-ray

by Audiophile Audition | Aug 16, 2016 | SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews

This magnificent set finally available in the format it deserves—and we can afford. * BEETHOVEN: The Nine Symphonies (1963); Rehearsal of the Ninth Sym. – Berlin PO/ Herbert von Karajan – DGG Pure Audio Blu-ray stereo 00289 479 5977 (1 disc), 6+ hours [Distr. by Universal] *****: It’s almost impossible to give this set anything but five stars. My own history with it is quite emotional. In 1973 I was just beginning a record collection, something that morphed into a lifelong passion, and the fame of Karajan’s set, already 11 years old, was irresistible and emphatic—I had to have it, my first recordings of any of the Beethoven symphonies. So once I saved up the money—about fifteen dollars for this impressive LP set at the time—I settled into the two-week period that the record store said it would take for arrival. The moment pushed forward and I was as excited as if Karajan himself was coming to see me. Providence would prove the event somewhat mixed and dicey, however. My girlfriend, with whom I had just enjoyed a weekend at the beach with her family, decided precipitously on the following Monday evening, to break up with me! Needless to say, […]