This work is part of the complete cycle of Beethoven symphonies featuring
the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and the Concertgebouw Orchestra of
Amsterdam conducted by Leonard Bernstein. All the works were recorded live
in Vienna: Unitel produced the video recordings and Deutsche Grammophon
released the soundtracks in a special edition. The series won the Ace
Award, the National (U.S.) Cable TV Association's top award for
outstanding quality and entertainment value. Bernstein's impassioned
renderings of Beethoven - so transparent and contemporary in their message
- move audiences in a unique way. "Beethoven has always meant universality
to me, ever since my early adolescence, when I first heard that
unforgettable cry of 'BrĂ¼der!'. From that moment on, every... symphony
came to mean heart-to-heart communication, travelling satellite-fashion
via the cosmos itself. I offer [this cycle] to all music-loving ears as a
testament of faith and of my most profound reactions to this greatest of
all composers." (Leonard Bernstein, 1980)