COMPOSERS: Beethoven
LABELS: Sony
WORKS: Symphony No. 1; Symphony No. 2; Symphony No. 3; Symphony No. 4; Symphony No. 5; Symphony No. 6; Symphony No. 7; Symphony No. 8; Symphony No. 9
PERFORMER: Berlin PO/Karajan
CATALOGUE NO: SVD 46363, 46364, 46365, 46366, 46367 #D20, #D21, #D22, #D23, #D24
All the Karajan videos of BEETHOVEH's symphonies have now been released on DVD. While the performances arc highly polished, these are really collectors' items. There is very little visual variation, and I found myself waiting in vain for a long shot of the whole orchestra, particularly at climactic moments.
The discs don't make use of the most fundamental of DVD features: there is no menu, so you can only access individual movements by scrolling through each of the preceding ones.