The Berliner Philharmoniker and Sir Simon Rattle are releasing their recording of the complete symphonies of Ludwig van Beethoven in an exclusive hardcover edition. The recording will be available from 29 April on the orchestra’s own label, Berliner Philharmoniker Recordings, and contains the symphonies on five CDs and a Blu-ray Disc in Pure Audio, plus two Blu-ray discs as Full HD videos. The edition is complemented by a video introduction with Sir Simon Rattle, the documentary “Living with Beethoven”, especially produced for this release, about working on the Beethoven cycle, plus there is an extensive booklet. The soloists in Symphony No. 9 are Annette Dasch (soprano), Eva Vogel (mezzo-soprano), Christian Elsner (tenor), Dimitry Ivashchenko (bass), together with the Rundfunkchor Berlin. 

The Beethoven cycle is the central project of the Philharmoniker’s 2015-2016 season: Two cycles of all nine symphonies were performed in the Berlin Philharmonie where this recording was made, and were enthusiastically received by audiences. The subsequent five concerts of the complete cycle in the new Philharmonie de Paris, the Vienna Musikverein and at New York’s Carnegie Hall received an overwhelming response. The cycle will be given its last performance at Suntory Hall in Tokyo in May.

Sir Simon Rattle about Ludwig van Beethoven’s symphonies: “This music is, of course, the absolute centre of everything we do. Beethoven’s symphonies are a kind of Mount Everest for all of us to climb. And they also keep us all very, very honest. They were inventing a new type of music as they went along, a music of a type of honesty and directness as had never been created. So for us, it’s always a matter of coming back.” About Beethoven with the Berliner Philharmoniker he continues: “When you have an orchestra like the Berliner Philharmoniker you have, of course, a huge advantage because this orchestra has a personality of incredible, almost superhuman energy. And this is the very first thing you need for Beethoven. Because otherwise he asks more from you than you can give.

The edition is available at www.berliner-philharmoniker-recordings.com and from selected retailers. Release : 29/04/2016.