Customer Reviews

Albinoni: Adagio; Pachelbel: Canon

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The track selection for this CD reads like a "greatest hits of soothing classical music", but don't be fooled by that, this is Herbert von Karajan at his most vigorous and emotional. The mere fact that he could still infuse so much vitality and inventiveness into such well known and often recorded pieces is solid proof of his immense talent. After a rather contrived rendition of Albinoni's Adagio the CD really picks up with a wonderful version of Vivaldi's La Notte, but the real treats are Bach's Air from the Orchestral Suite No. 3 and Gluck's Dance of the Blessed Spirits from Orfeo ed Euridice, both perfectly conducted and sublimely played by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Also included are Pachelbel's Canon and Guige (in a refreshingly powerful version) and Mozart's Serenata Notturna. This is a brilliant CD, and I would recommend both to those new to classical music who are seeking a great introduction to these fabulous pieces, and to those who are familiar with other versions of these works and are looking for different, more vigorous ways of presenting them.

It is interesting to see the disparity of opinions on Karajan under reviews for this performance as they do reflect many of the prevailing views of audiences as to this style of symphonic interpretation for Baroque chamber works and Karajan in general. I tend to agree and disagree with both which is the reason why I like these particular performances and find them a treat.

I don't find this 'frost-biting' phenomenon to be unique to Karajan as one reviewer makes it seem as this effect is more a product of romanticizing and symphonizing a chamber piece for more instruments that are almost all entirely modern. It is therefore a phenomenon to all symphonic traditions and particularly those of Mahler and Wagner which means almost every conventional symphony. Talk about frosty, try listening to Baroque with Solti after a short time: fossilizing! It's hard to say which is the best piece here but among the Baroque it is certainly one of the most divine of Bach's 'Air' I have ever heard performed in either symphonic adaptation or traditional chamber performance. The pace is neither hurried or extended and the strings glide majestically. His interpretation of Vivaldi's 'La Notte' is also one of the best renditions I have heard even compared to those by traditional groups in terms of the pacing and performance for the flute. The strings do appear somewhat hurried in parts however but the flute was still divine. Albinoni and Pachelbel, as with Bach, are simply exemplary in tempo and consistency with the strings. Gluck's piece is delicate and spiritual while Mozart's 'Serenata Notturna' has a lot of resonance and clarity than most other performances which makes it less mundane than it usually is.

All of the pieces in my opinion are really well done for the most part and exemplary of Karajan and the old school. The recording quality is relatively good. Again, these are symphonic adaptations and so this is probably not what you want if you're looking for chamber and traditional performances. There are various groups out there that play more within the traditional parameters for these pieces. I Musici, The Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trevor Pinnock, Raymond Leppard, and, The English Chamber Orchestra are usually some of the better choices in that area.

This is one of the most finest interpretations of the late Karajan. The Adagio has a beautiful rithm that makes you flow. Every piece is both delicate and powerful. Best versions I ever heard.

Karajan was an amazing conductor. Precise, demanding, exacting, but also emotional and deeply sensible to nuances and subtleties of the various works and comosers he conducted. He's amazing with Beethoven and Wagner, for instance.

With Pachelbel, however, something didn't click. I have at least three Karajan recordings of the Canon in D -as well as over 50 other versions- and none are as brief, "martial", cut-and-dry, hurry-up-and-leave like Karajan's. Don't ask me why, but it would seem that conducting Pachelbel was something he didn't enjoy.

The rest of the album, however, is very enjoyable, smooth, melodious, and thoroughly enjoyable and commendable.

So, in a nutshell: if you've had it with Pachelbel's Canon in D, this is a great recording for you. If, on the other hand, you really love the Canon, skip it while playing this album or, for that matter, any of Karajan's recordings of it, where you'll also find this report, as I have collected them all: my acoustical masochism knows no boundaries.

I hope this helps you in your selection. Enjoy!

A superb CD. I am not a great fan of Albinoni's Adagio, but would recommend this CD simply on the basis of the performance of Gluck's "Dance of the Blessed Spirits". The playing captures the tranquility and serenity of the piece wonderfully. The Mozart is also performed with aplomb.

I like Karajan, I like the Berliner Philharmoniker. But here, I feel, they have overdone it... Too smooth, too soothing, too commercialized. It may not be the performances alone, but also the choice of pieces for this CD. The master had relaxed, and the results are merely mediocre. I prefer Karajan at his energizing best...

I first fell in love with Pachelbel's Canon when I heard a string quartet busking it on the street! After hearing another recording, I was compelled to dig this one out. And I was right: the sheer crispness of Von Karajan's version gives the music a simplicity and emotional impact that is unmatched.

I would recommend this cd to anyone who just getting into classical music, as it contains some of the more familiar, less complex classical favorites. It is superbly played and full of emotion, very easy to listen to. The Canon in D is easily the best version I have ever heard. This is still a great recording for those with significant classical music collections, though. It is extremely well conducted, with clear, artful articulation in all the pieces. The adagio has some problems with feedback on the organ, but they are negligible. It is all around a great buy.

First of all, the collection is bad enough: if you haven't had enough of that Pachelbel Cannonn yet, omnipresent and ever opressing- it's a popular ringtone, too- you need to get out more. Poor Pachelbel didn't even commit this atrocity, some crazy arranger did. The Albinoni Adagio brings me the fond memories of Brezniev's funeral- it has been a fixture of the state funerals for ages, but why would you need to listen to it at home? Dedicated Goths might like it, but getting a spray can of "Fresh Grave" home fragrance would be cheaper.
The works of Mozart, Vivaldi and Gluck included on this collection are all nice and fluffy- on paper. What is most grating about this recording is how Karajan manages to make everything sound pompous, cold, leaden, slooow and sticky, smooth as baby food and just as bland. After few tracks I began to feel as if I was drinking wet cement. The sound is atrocious- it's an old recording and nothing has been done to improve the itchy and scratchy, low-fi feel of this collection. Hopefully it will die a natural death soon, but while it's still in print- beware!