Beethoven: The Symphonies (Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos Conducts the Danish National Symphony Orchestra)
Spanish maestro Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos (1933-2014) concluded his acclaimed international conducting career spanning nearly six decades with two memorable years as the revered Principal Conductor of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra. Recorded live at Copenhagen's new DR Koncerthuset, Koncertsalen from 2012 to 2014, this exclusive recording combines Fruhbeck de Burgos's powerful interpretation of Ludwig van Beethoven's complete symphonies with his spectacular renditions of Hector Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique and Richard Strauss's Eine Alpensinfonie, as well as Joaquin Rodrigos's popular Concerto de Aranjuez, with world-renowned Spanish guitarist Pepe Romero.
Details
First Aired: 9/6/2012
Languages: Danish, German, English
Type: Scripted
Production
Companies: DR
Countries: Denmark
Cast
Seasons
Season 1
"Beethoven: The Symphonies" is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of DRS and Da Capo with AVC encoded 1080p transfers in 1.78:1. You have to hunt a little bit, but on the back of the three cardboard sleeves attached to the left side of the inside of this somewhat oddly configured package is information detailing that everything save for Eine Alpensinfonie was captured in native 1080p, while the Strauss piece has been upscaled from standard definition (it's not just obvious from the rampant stair stepping and similar anomalies on display, but also from the fact that Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos is noticeably younger and more spry, and conducts that piece standing up). While the really wide shots taken from what looks like the second balcony of Copenhagen's new(ish) Concert Hall look fairly ragged.
