Karajan 37 CD

Igor Stravinsky - Symphony of Psalms / Symphony in C / Concerto in D
Chor der deutschen Oper Berlin / Berliner Philharmoniker / Herbert von Karajan
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 295 MB | Full Artwork: 76 MB | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Deutsche Grammophon # 423 252-2 GC | Country/Year: Germany 1988, 1972-1982
Genre: Classical | Style: Early 20th Century, Contemporary

A very intriguing CD, since Karajan was almost the mirror opposite of Stravinsky as a conductor. We get a prime example in this Symphony in C from 1970 of turning an angular "secco" work of neocolassicism into something quite romantic. The softer parts are elegant and even pretty; the string sound is full and sweet; climaxes are heartfelt and dramatic. so many deviations from Stravinsky's own style could sound very wrong, and if you cock your ear a certain way, Karajan's reading seems foreign to the composer's intentions. But it's awfully impressive sheerly as music-making…

"Between 1980 and his death in 1989, Herbert von Karajan recorded the incredible amount of 78 CDs worth of orchestral and choral music for DGG. In the final decade of his creative life, he made quintessential recordings of major works he had not recorded before: Nielsen’s Symphony No. 4 “The Inextinguishable” and Saint-Saëns’ “Organ” Symphony. Among the highpoints of Karajan’s late years is the major part of his collaboration with Anne-Sophie Mutter, the “wunderkind” Karajan discovered in the late 1970s and mentored throughout the 1980s.

Karajan was unquestionably a great Tchaikovsky conductor. Yet although he recorded the last three symphonies many times, he did not turn to the first three until the end of the 1970s, and then proved an outstanding advocate. In the Mendelssohnian opening movement of the First, the tempo may be brisk, but the music's full charm is displayed and the melancholy of the Andante is touchingly caught.

The surprising thing about these three discs is that the performances get better the further we depart from the shores of Romanticism and tonality. Not what you'd expect from von K and the Berliners. Pelleas benefits from wonderfully lush orchestral playing from the Berlin Philharmonic, but it feels more like very colourful scene painting rather than real drama. To get to the Romantic heart of this piece, try Barbirolli: for its expressionist, forward looking (via Verklarte Nacht to Erwartung) side, go to Boulez.

A veritable who's who of pieces & composers, the CDs Karajan Forever will hopefully live forever. Herbert VonKarajan was the conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic from 1955 until his demise in 1989. His vision & helmsmanship of this magnificent orchestra have literally changed the way a whole generation heard music.

Phillips' Great Pianists of the 20th Century issue has gotten a lot of publicity in the ten or so years since it has been released. In a musical niche suffering from falling revenues, it was a decent seller. But it left many connoisseurs disappointed, as the quality was limited to the fancy packaging.