Beethoven-Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2 (Daniel Berenboim) (DVD-Audio) (2000) (NTSC)

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General		Extras
Category	Classical	Booklet Notes-Beethoven's Works In Their Time Featurette-Barenboim On DVD Audio-Only Track-Also Available (DVD-A) Credits Gallery-Photo-(DVD-A)
Rating
Year Of Production	2000
Running Time	61:01
RSDL / Flipper	No/No	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	1,2,3,4,5,6	Directed By	Daniel Barenboim
Studio Distributor	Warner Vision	Starring	Berliner Staatskapelle
Case	DVD-Audio Jewel
RPI	$32.95	Music	Ludwig Van Beethoven

    Teldec’s Barenboim Beethoven series of DVD-A releases spans all nine symphonies and presents a collection which should almost be considered de rigueur for classical music fans with a bent for DVD-Audio. Having reviewed his later symphonies, namely the 7th and the 8th, I now turn to Beethoven’s first two symphonies.

   As luck would have it, Warner have again chosen to package these two recordings onto a single disc, which would seem to me to be a very value-conscious decision. The rest of the series are single disc per symphony (apart of course from the 7th & 8th), all nicely colour coded for those in a hurry to choose which to listen to at any given time.

   I find these two symphonies very lively and spirited, both having similar tones – a spirited first movement, a more moderate and thoughtful second, an energetic and almost violent third movement and a mixed fourth. While I am not competent to critique the performances, I find nothing objectionable in either of these two recordings and am sure they would please anyone who enjoys Beethoven as much as I do, and I consider it a blessing that they are available to own on DVD-Audio.

Video

    Video is NTSC formatted and is of fine quality at all times, though the video segment is quit soft.

    A nice collection of stills are available for browsing while the MLP tracks are playing - these, it should be noted, are not available when listening to this disc in DVD-Video mode - only the jacket image is presented.

Audio

    The disc is presented with one MLP 5.0 96kHz / 24 bit PPCM track and with a token Dolby Digital 5.0 track for DVD-Video compatibility. Stereo playback is achieved via player mix-down, though for most this will be a non-issue.

    This series of DVD-Audio releases has a definite audio character, which is nothing short of superb. You certainly know you are listening to something out of your normal listening experience if you have been raised on CD’s like I have (for the most part). There is a tangible sense of performance, or rather being present at a performance, which brings you close to the music. Even the occasional rustling of papers or shifting of stools is rendered with such fidelity as to make the experience all the more realistic. There are moments which certainly bring a smile to the face, such as pounding timpani, deep vibrant strings, or a delicate wind instrument, and if a recording can do that then it is a successful one in my opinion.

    The soundstage is frontal, with the rears offering a warming ambience, which, while not drawing attention to itself, is certainly missed when disengaged. The centre channel is used as a discrete source, unlike many recordings where the centre does next to nothing – usually a decision based on nothing more than whether the mixing engineer decides to play it “safe” or not.

    The Dolby Digital soundtrack is somewhat lacking by comparison – an altogether expected result and something which I now find humorous after having enjoyed classical music in this format in the past. Oh, how fickle we humans can be...

Audio Ratings Summary

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

Booklet

    A nice 20-page booklet (though only the first half is actually in English) which details the composer, the conductor and the works themselves, plus generic DVD-Audio operating procedures and a list of other available classical titles.

Notes

    In common with all discs in this series, a snapshot of life in the 19th century, spanning 1799 to 1805. We find that the first letters mentioning Beethoven’s hearing difficulties occur in 1800 at the early age of 30.

Featurette

Audio-Only Track

• Mahler – Symphony No. 2
• Nickolaus Harnoncourt – Johann Straus In Berlin
• Carl Orff – Carmina Burana

Credits

Gallery-Photo

    This is identical to the R1 version.

    Two fine recordings of Beethoven’s early symphonies 1 & 2 presented on an essentially perfect DVD-Audio. I can do nothing but highly recommend this disc.

Video
Audio
Extras
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