“There are countless interpretations of these Beethoven Symphonies, most of them interchangeable, but Thielemann’s towers far above them all.” – Die Presse (Vienna) THE BEETHOVEN CYCLE FOR THE 21ST CENTURY. Sony Classical is delighted to re-release Christian Thielemann & the Vienna Philharmonic’s incredible Beethoven cycle. This striking hardcover booklet with slipcase houses 6 CDs containing Beethoven’s entire symphonic output. Dubbed “The Beethoven Cycle of the 21st Century”, this cycle was recorded live in concert in the Goldener Saal of the Vienna Musikverein between 2008 and 2010 by the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Thielemann. “One of the most joyous, released and sheerly infectious accounts I have ever heard [of the Second], full of drive, impish wit and manic ecstasy. The orchestra is obviously having a high old time...Thielemann takes the orchestra’s famed sonority and builds on it. These are performances all of a piece; Thielemann has imposed his conception upon the cycle as a whole and the emphasis upon weight and grandeur without excluding excitement.” – MusicWeb International