My favorite Karajan on the German repertoire are Beethoven and Richard Strauss but the best Karajan is usually find outside the great German master: Sibelius, Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Ravel, Debussy, Honegger, Bartok, Stravinsky and the Second Viennese School.
One of my favorite Karajan Berlin Philharmonic recordings is of Opera Overtures and Intermezzi. It has a wonderful Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana and the most beautiful Meditation from Thais, played angelically by Michel Schwalbe backed up by the gorgeous Berlin Philharmonic strings, I've ever heard in my life. Every time I hear it I have to reach for the tissues. It's incredibly beautiful. In this repertoire Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic were peerless.
I'm a huge Bartok fan and I find Karajan's recording of "Music for strings, percussion and celesta" from 1960 to be pretty damn good...there is a distinct sense of depth to the recording that is very appealing. I seem to be in the minority as most people beat that recording up.
interesting review on some DG titles. When I first got into classical, I purchased all DG titles I could get my hands on. Now most are gone, replaced with better sounding recordings of the same works from EMI and Decca. Its outside the scope of your Karajan title but the first press of the Amadeus quartet doing the Beethoven string quartets is sonically quite excellent.
Original DG issues definitely aren't of audiofile quality, as are early stereo Decca, Colombia, Mercury Living Presence , RCA Living Stereo and HMV. The DG catalogue is huge, with superb orchestras and conductors and performances but, sadly most of their great performances weren't matched by the recordings
Another favorite Karajan Berlin Philharmonic recording of mine is the Prokofiev Symphony No. 5. The sound is bit bass shy but the playing is in a class of it's own. I had the good fortune to hear Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic in Chicago in the late '70's playing the Bruckner Symphony No. 8. It was revelatory experience to say the least.
No the less than ideal recorded sound does not make it a dreadful recording. It's not distorted or anything like that. The digital disasters DG recorded in the Philharmonie in the '80s are truly dreadful recordings. This great Prokofiev 5th they recorded in the Jesus Christus Church in the late '60s is nothing like that. The greatness of the playing of the Berlin Philharmonic triumphs over the less than ideal recording and that's what really matters.
You know, at the end of his life Karajan used to complain that sound engineers conducted as much as him, that his records not always represents what he really wants. Maybe when he was younger he put his fingers on the board and later remain absent from the studio until the process is done. Hard to believe because he love control everything.
I have not listened to HVK/BPO's 70's Tchaikovsky cycle on vinyl, but the CD and digital download versions have superb audio quality. It looks like there is a box set of 1-3, while 4-6 are available as single discs. I wonder if you have heard them and can report on sound quality on vinyl? I also think the 70's Beethoven cycle has better sound and performances. Otherwise, wonderful choices.
Not good news, I’m afraid. Maybe the digital cleaned them up, but the OGs have that bass shy, spotlit quaity liked by Karajan. Amazing playing, non audiophile recording. I sent the set to my nephew, who’s just getting into classical music. Wish I had better news for you.
@@AudiophiliaChannel DG's remaster definitely cleaned that up, then. They are not bass shy at all (my current versions of the files are from the Hi-Res cycle re-release). The brass on 4 is booming, and the percussion throughout is wonderful. I wonder if DG will reissue the vinyl like they have with Beethoven and Brahms (both of which are wonderful).
It wasn’t Karajan’s Beethoven Ninth that prompted Sony Japan’s boss to insist on the CD being 74 minutes long. In fact, Karajan’s 9th was pretty brisk compared to his contemporaries; his 1962 version (the one you show in the video) clocks in at 66 minutes. It was actually Furtwängler’s 9th from 1951 - that’s the one that is 74 minutes long.
![Magnificent Mercury-Mercury Living Presence Stereo Series [1955 1968]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/0_tmZXa_JeU/mqdefault.jpg)
![Magnificent Mercury—Mercury Living Presence Stereo Series [1955 1968]](/img/tr.png)
![แฟนแนวใด๋ - ยูริ โตเกียวมิวสิค [ SyncVersion ]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Fm8oDwos2uc/mqdefault.jpg)
My favorite Karajan on the German repertoire are Beethoven and Richard Strauss but the best Karajan is usually find outside the great German master: Sibelius, Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Ravel, Debussy, Honegger, Bartok, Stravinsky and the Second Viennese School.
DG Bruckner-Karajan Vinyl released in August. Can’t wait.
€300. A lot less than I thought it’d be.
One of my favorite Karajan Berlin Philharmonic recordings is of Opera Overtures and Intermezzi. It has a wonderful Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana and the most beautiful Meditation from Thais, played angelically by Michel Schwalbe backed up by the gorgeous Berlin Philharmonic strings, I've ever heard in my life. Every time I hear it I have to reach for the tissues. It's incredibly beautiful. In this repertoire Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic were peerless.
I'm a huge Bartok fan and I find Karajan's recording of "Music for strings, percussion and celesta" from 1960 to be pretty damn good...there is a distinct sense of depth to the recording that is very appealing. I seem to be in the minority as most people beat that recording up.
interesting review on some DG titles. When I first got into classical, I purchased all DG titles I could get my hands on. Now most are gone, replaced with better sounding recordings of the same works from EMI and Decca. Its outside the scope of your Karajan title but the first press of the Amadeus quartet doing the Beethoven string quartets is sonically quite excellent.
"turning dogs into gold..." EBS top comment! Great reviews
Original DG issues definitely aren't of audiofile quality, as are early stereo Decca, Colombia, Mercury Living Presence , RCA Living Stereo and HMV.
The DG catalogue is huge, with superb orchestras and conductors and performances but, sadly most of their great performances weren't matched by the recordings
Another favorite Karajan Berlin Philharmonic recording of mine is the Prokofiev Symphony No. 5. The sound is bit bass shy but the playing is in a class of it's own.
I had the good fortune to hear Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic in Chicago in the late '70's playing the Bruckner Symphony No. 8. It was revelatory experience to say the least.
Great performance but when played on top Hi-Fi gear, pretty dreadful recording.
No the less than ideal recorded sound does not make it a dreadful recording. It's not distorted or anything like that. The digital disasters DG recorded in the Philharmonie in the '80s are truly dreadful recordings. This great Prokofiev 5th they recorded in the Jesus Christus Church in the late '60s is nothing like that. The greatness of the playing of the Berlin Philharmonic triumphs over the less than ideal recording and that's what really matters.
@@user-tv3bu9jd3v Hard Agree. The HVK/BPO Provokiev 5 is FIRE!
What about the Karajan conducing Sibelius 4? Absolutely brilliant. The sound is great too.
I’m sure. Just not a big fan of the work. Karajan’s Sibelius is knockout.
You know, at the end of his life Karajan used to complain that sound engineers conducted as much as him, that his records not always represents what he really wants. Maybe when he was younger he put his fingers on the board and later remain absent from the studio until the process is done. Hard to believe because he love control everything.
I have not listened to HVK/BPO's 70's Tchaikovsky cycle on vinyl, but the CD and digital download versions have superb audio quality. It looks like there is a box set of 1-3, while 4-6 are available as single discs. I wonder if you have heard them and can report on sound quality on vinyl?
I also think the 70's Beethoven cycle has better sound and performances.
Otherwise, wonderful choices.
Not good news, I’m afraid. Maybe the digital cleaned them up, but the OGs have that bass shy, spotlit quaity liked by Karajan. Amazing playing, non audiophile recording. I sent the set to my nephew, who’s just getting into classical music. Wish I had better news for you.
@@AudiophiliaChannel
DG's remaster definitely cleaned that up, then. They are not bass shy at all (my current versions of the files are from the Hi-Res cycle re-release). The brass on 4 is booming, and the percussion throughout is wonderful. I wonder if DG will reissue the vinyl like they have with Beethoven and Brahms (both of which are wonderful).
Audiophile Karajan? Get EMI from the 70s. Plenty of incedible sounding stuff. Dvorak 8, Karajan in Paris, Sibelius 4, Don Quixote, Karajan conducts Wagner 1 & 2 , La Mer. Opera? Otello, Tristan, Pelleas, Aida, Salome, Trovatore.
His EMIs are good; no way the EMI engineers would have him in the mixing sessions lol
It wasn’t Karajan’s Beethoven Ninth that prompted Sony Japan’s boss to insist on the CD being 74 minutes long. In fact, Karajan’s 9th was pretty brisk compared to his contemporaries; his 1962 version (the one you show in the video) clocks in at 66 minutes. It was actually Furtwängler’s 9th from 1951 - that’s the one that is 74 minutes long.
You had me with your Reiner and Barbirolli videos. Now you lost me. HvK was to music, what McDonald's is to cuisine.
I think you're as wrong as wrong can be. Different strokes...