Rating: 
Summary: A Unique and Moving Beethoven 9th
Review: I can understand the reservations expressed by some of the other reviewers regarding this video; it also left me cold and unimpressed at first. Upon repeated viewing, however, I came to appreciate the unique visual style and the truly magnificent music-making of this, Karajan's final testament of Beethoven's penultimate masterpiece.This is not a typical filmed concert. This is a prototypical late Karajan production where soloists and instrumentalists are strategically back-lit and isolated through tight camera shots supplementing very few wide shots of the orchestra itself (there is, in fact, no shot of the orchestra and chorus together in the entire video). The audience too has been excluded except for some shots behind the maestro's shoulders; those expecting wild applause and curtain calls will be disappointed. What you end up with is a dark, brooding and somewhat surrealistic visual landscape where the music, not the event, takes center stage. And what music! Though polished and impeccable as always, the playing of the Berlin Philharmonic shows a sense of urgency (the tempi are farly brisk) that gives the performance an irresistable forward impetus. Add to this four fine soloists and a powerful chorus, and you have a stirring performance with a real sense of occasion. Finally, the full-bodied recording has a nicely burnished quality and very wide dynamic range to suitably excite the ears. The quality of the selectable PCM and AC3 4-channel soundtracks are very close, so those without a Dolby Digital receiver won't miss too much. To sum up, this is a an stirring performance presented in a unique visual style that may not appeal to all (Karajan-haters need not apply), but those with open minds and a taste for musical perfection should experience this video.
Rating: 
Summary: Terrible camera work
Review: I did not have any problems with the sound although I have CDs with better sound tracks. But I was very disappointed with the video. The camera work was atrocious even by 1983 standards. No wonder I have never seen this broadcast on TV or cable. Neither the orchestra or the choir are shown in their entirety. There are only side shots, no direct shots. It appears that only two cameras were used and all that changed was the zoom of the cameras which was not very much. I am very sorry I purchased this DVD. I am better off with the CD.
Rating: 
Summary: Millions, rise and gather! Share this universal kiss!
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Beethoven's 9th performed. It's fairly well shot with lots of backlight, and changing camera angles often enough to keep this interesting. But of course the movie works because of the power and emotion of Beethoven's 9th. Subtitles during the choral portion add meaning for those, like myself, who don't understand the German. Entrancing.
Rating:
Summary: Millions, rise and gather! Share this universal kiss!
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Beethoven's 9th performed. It's fairly well shot with lots of backlight, and changing camera angles often enough to keep this interesting. But of course the movie works because of the power and emotion of Beethoven's 9th. Subtitles during the choral portion add meaning for those, like myself, who don't understand the German. Entrancing.
Rating:
Summary: This DVD is only for Karajan fan.
Review: If you're a serious Karajan fan, this DVD maybe for you. It's just another Karajan's conducting show. But if you're a regular classical listener/watcher, you'll be very disppointed as I am. You can see at most 15 players/singers only. But hey, this is Choral Symphony! There're 200+ people on stage. The sound quality is also so-so. I would suggest the DVD Kurt Masur conducting Gewandhaus Orchestra. This DVD is much better for your ears and eyes. And you'll get idea why Choral is so splendid before you go to a concert.
Rating:
Summary: Stunning performance of the greatest musical work ever
Review: Many critics find the CD of this performance to be one of Karajan's worst, but I fail to fathom why. Perhaps having the visual as well as aural changes the perception. This is a stunning work. The choral arrangements are the strongest I have ever heard, not watered down like on Norrington's 9th. Being able to see the singers makes the perception that much better. I hope that in the future all classical music is recorded in this format. It could certainly help pick up the lagging sales in the market. It could also revolutionize pop recordings, as artists could release an audio album complete with accompanying videos. This is where the Sony/Philips SACD could really make an impact: artists could release a single disc which would allow CD play of the music in cars, on portable stereos, etc., and also allow audio and video in a home theater system. Let's hope the industry catches on!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Classical Music on DVD - like CD's twenty years ago!
Review: Nice for a first try (this is a direct dub from a SONY video with no added production values) but obviously this DVD will be remastered at some point to provide true surround sound and a better ecomomic layout. DG is already ahead of the game in that department, they have just released a DVD set "Anne-Sophie Mutter - Beethoven's Complete Violin Sonatas" featuring some six hours of music on two DVD's - talk about value for money! For me it's only a matter of time before SONY Music will reissue the complete Beethoven cycle on a double DVD set with much better sound (we've gone through this with the compact disc format and why shouldn't we again with the DVD format)!
Rating:
Summary: Best in my collection
Review: Not being an avid classical listener, I just bought this dvd to test my system and hear a bit of Beethoven. I was surprised to find out it's the best dvd/divx i've ever seen/heard. The sound is awesome. No background noises, and a great performance by the Orchestra make this a real treat, and my five klipsch speakers are very pleased too. Only negative point would be that the performance seems slightly rushed in a few places. Well worth the money, I recommend it highly.
Rating:
Summary: Not the best one from Karajan!
Review: Overall the sound and image quality of this DVD is OK but I am still quite disappointed by this release particularly the 4th movement "Ode to Joy". This performance is definitely worse than the one recorded by Karajan in 1970's and may be not as good as that recorded in 1960's. The tenor and baritone here are extremely weak and it feels like that they are singing serenade instead, which makes Beethoven's 9th symphony lack of strength. Karajan's 1970's version of this work is the best and I wonder why he did not try to find someone as good as Peter Schreier and Jose van Dam. Anyway, this release is still worth collecting since it's the only one on DVD. Not too many choices.
Rating:
Summary: Conservative performance, lacklustre video production
Review: The sound is perhaps marginally better than its CD equivalent, however, the DVD really doesn't take total advantage of the medium. The views of the orchestra and conductor is very limiting. Infact there are at most 6 vantage points of PARTS of the orchestra, conductor or choir. One really never sees entire sections or for that matter the entire orchestra. The result is a feeling of "claustrophobia" and no sense of occasion. The tight shots are not sympathetic to the breadth and the grandeur of the music. The DVD medium could have allowed switchable overviews of the whole choir and orchestra. Furthermore, the views are backlit to the point that the glare is annoying. As far as the performance is concerned, it is highly polished, but somewhat on the dull side.
| 
