The Compact Disc Evolution

This photograph records perhaps one of the most important events in the history of the union of music and technology.  Austrian conductor Herbert von Karajan (centre left) and Sony co-founder and then chairman Akio Morita (centre right) are loading a demonstration CD into the Sony prototype player in Tokyo in 1981. Karajan was passionate about digital recording and in particular the new medium of compact disc and spent a great deal of time providing input into the necessary requirements for classical music reproduction to be successful on CD. One of his main goals from the outset was to re-record the entire cycle of Beethoven symphonies as soon as possible for release on CD, but his great concern was that at the time of this demonstration, the maximum playing time of a CD fell way short of holding the final symphony of Beethoven's - the 9th - on one disc. Karajan felt that this was a simple and not too unreasonable request and requirement. The engineers went back to work and increased the maximum playing time from 60 minutes to 74 minutes (which it still is). The 9th would fit. Karajan started work immediately with the Berlin Phlharmonic Orchestra. He had recorded the Beethoven Symphonies three times previously in studios, firstly in the 1950's (in mono) with the Philharmonia Orchestra and then in stereo for DG in 1963 and 1976 with his BPO. This latest version of all nine in digital would take three years to record (and release), from 1982 - 1985. Incidently, the very first CD released was Billy Joel's 52nd Street, on CBS, in late 1982. Then followed the Chariots of Fire soundtrack, Michael Jackson's Thriller, a Beethoven piano sonata's CD, Rodrigo's Guitar concerto on Decca and a few others. By early 1983, there were about ten things available on CD. Shops were only just beginning to take notice of the new medium and many were sceptical. One store in Canberra had a shoe box on the counter with "CD's" scrawled on the side in red crayon. Customers would filter past and remark "oh look - there's those new CD things". Three years later, in 1986, most stores who took music retailing seriously, took the plunge and converted their display racks and shelving systems to CD and the LP records were relegated to "out the back". Another year later and they were gone completely. Such was the speed of the technology and developement.   Below: Maestro Herbert Von Karajan is captivated by the CD technology.   Below: Sony CDP-101