In 1982, this recording, which teamed Rudolf Serkin, one of the greatest pianists and Beethoven interpreters in the world, with a first-class orchestra and renowned conductor, was released as a digital LP.

Recorded in the beautiful acoustic of Boston's Symphony Hall, it was hailed as "extraordinary" by critics, for both performance and quality of recorded sound.

In 1983, Telarc re-released the recording on CD, and again it received accolades from reviewers, who called it "a marriage made in heaven," and "one of the best classical releases on CD to date."