A one-of-a-kind musical event is in the making!
Christian Thielemann, one of the most recognized conductors of
our time, joins forces with the prestigious Wiener Philharmoniker and
UNITEL, the world's leading audiovisual production company for classical
music, in a monumental project: BEETHOVEN 9, the recording of all nine
symphonies by Ludwig van Beethoven for TV, DVD and New Media: the
"Beethoven cycle of the 21st century"!
Using the newest technology of our century, UNITEL and Austrian Television
(ORF) produce this "super-cycle" in the Golden Hall of Vienna's
Musikverein in HD and 5.0 Surround Sound. BEETHOVEN 9 kicked off in
December 2008 with the recording of the First and Second Symphonies. At
the rate of two recordings per year, the cycle will be completed by
April 2010. The genesis and unfolding of this project will be accompanied
by a documentary filmed in HD.
Between 2010 and 2013 the orchestra will crown the venture with special
event performances of the complete cycle in major cities around the world.
These concert cycles will rank among the musical highlights of these
years. They will be accompanied by the recordings, which will be released
prior to the start of the world tour, when international attention is at
its peak. Music lovers can enjoy Beethoven's symphonies either live in the
host cities or on television, Internet or DVD. Live transmission from the
Golden Hall is possible already during the recording stage.
BEETHOVEN 9 brings to a new climax the longstanding collaboration between
Thielemann, who enjoys a sterling reputation as an interpreter of
Beethoven and the German Romantics, and the Wiener Philharmoniker, which
has been cultivating the music of Beethoven since its founding nearly
170 years ago and is one of the few great orchestras to have preserved its
unique sound. UNITEL CLASSICA can look back on more than 40 years of
collaboration with the Wiener Philharmoniker and on its pioneering cycles
of Beethoven's symphonic works with Herbert von Karajan and
Leonard Bernstein.
