Beethoven-Symphonies Nos 1, 6 & 8 (Berlin Philharmonic/Abbado) (2001) (NTSC)

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General		Extras
Category	Classical	Main Menu Audio & Animation Booklet Multiple Angles-Conductor Camera
Rating
Year Of Production	2001
Running Time	104:18 (Case: 106)
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	1,2,3,4,5,6	Directed By	Bob Coles
Studio Distributor	Euroarts Select Audio-Visual Distrib	Starring	None Given
Case	Amaray-Transparent
RPI	$59.95	Music	Ludwig Van Beethoven

Video (NTSC)		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	Audio Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) Audio dts 5.1 (768Kb/s) Audio Linear PCM 48/16 2.0 (1536Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	480i (NTSC)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.78:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	None	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

    This final volume in the set of Beethoven symphonies from the Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Claudio Abbado contains two of his shorter symphonies and one of his greatest. The Sixth Symphony was written in 1807/08 and is the only one of his symphonies that has a programmatic basis. The programme consists of scenes in the country, merrymaking by peasants, and a storm followed by scenes of thanksgiving.

    The Sixth is followed by the First, Beethoven's shortest symphony and his first large-scale work, first performed in 1800. It is less distinctive than those works that would follow it, being more in the style of Haydn than the Beethoven we know from the later symphonies.

    The final work on this DVD is the Eighth Symphony, written in 1812 at the same time that he was composing the Seventh. It is a more elegant, less revolutionary symphony than its numeric predecessor and thus is not as highly regarded.

    These three performances were all recorded at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecelia in Rome in 2001. Each receives a fine performance, though Abbado does not quite reach the heights of transcendent rapture in the finale of the Sixth that Karl Böhm does in his famous late recording. The First and Eight are taken swiftly but do not suffer from this. The Eighth must have been recorded at the same concert as the Fourth, as again during the concluding applause the director shows us Roberto Benigni and Nicoletta Braschi in the audience. Not twice but three times this time. Holy Cleopatra!

    The entire set is very well done indeed and would be worthy of a place on your shelves, there being no satisfactory rival complete DVD set of the symphonies. I have not seen the set conducted by Michael Gielen, though I have read less than flattering reviews of it. The Karajan set, also with the Berlin Philharmonic, suffers not only from the conductor's megalomaniacal tendencies (most of the footage is of him) but also from some prosaic performances. Abbado's set is much to be preferred.

Video

    The video is in the original aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and is 16x9 enhanced. The video is NTSC formatted.

    The video quality on all of the releases in this set are about the same. It is not especially sharp, and wide angle shots are often blurry and lacking in detail. Most of the video is from close to the players and the issues are not nearly as severe. Colour is slightly washed out by the lighting. Black levels are good and shadow detail is acceptable.

    There are a few video artefacts, with some minor edge enhancement resulting in thin haloes at times. There is some pixellation and aliasing can be seen on the stringed instruments and on some of the woodwind. There is also a slight motion blurring, though you have to look carefully to see it.

    There are no subtitles provided (or needed).

    The disc is dual-layered. The layer break occurs between the third and fourth movements of the Sixth, and while it is noticeable it has no effect on the audio.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    There are three audio tracks on the disc. I listened to the DTS 5.1 track in full and sampled the Dolby Digital 5.1 and Linear PCM 2.0 tracks.

    The DTS audio is very good though it varies between the works. The sound is geared to the front channels with the rears only used to create an impression of the concert hall acoustic and to carry audience applause. The low frequency effects channel is well blended in with the sound coming from the other speakers, and it adds weight and emphasis to the low notes.

    In the first movement of the Sixth the tuttis result in congestion to the sound, and in the final movement the brass seem to overwhelm the string section. The First is played with a scaled- down orchestra and therefore has less weight but more clarity.

    The Dolby Digital channel has a less rich sound and is at a slightly lower volume level. It also feels less integrated into a sound picture than the DTS track. The Linear PCM track is superior in terms of detail and the roundness of the sound, but lacks the sense of space afforded by the surround channels.

    There were no issues with audio sync.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Main Menu Audio and Animation

    The main menu has some of the music and a brief loop of the video. As seems to be the case with all Euroarts DVDs, if you return to the main menu after accessing one of the submenus, the audio is gone.

Booklet

    The usual booklet with a few paragraphs on the music.

Multiple Angles-Conductor Camera

    The Sixth has a multiple angles feature that allows you to watch the conductor only.

    This DVD is designed for worldwide release and appears to be the same in all regions.

    Another fine set of Beethoven symphonies.

    The video quality is good.

    The audio quality is excellent, though not ideal.

    The usual extra material.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall