Customer Reviews

Beethoven: Nine Symphonies

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I relish listening to each of the Karajan Beethoven cycles. But I will not join the persistent near consensus which hails the 1963 cycle over the 70's version heard here, nor the last cycle from the 80's. The 1963 Berliners were fiery, but rarely elegant; the 1970's Berliners, more elegant. After the 60s, the partnership with Karajan, although sometimes rocky, was a devoted one, and the results became extraordinary - the best was even better.

There is a balance of precision and emotion in this later period which Karajan and the orchestra achieved over decades together. Surely this perfect blend is what Beethoven might have idealized. Listen to the phrases he wrote, and try to gauge if they could be played with a greater combination of technical perfection and passion than heard in this cycle. One can hope for more fire as in 1963, but not more passion by these musicians. At the most important moments, this collaboration very nearly transcends the limits of human artistry, and that is all we could hope for.

The Seventh and Ninth are the richest treasures of the Karajan-Beethoven cycles, and this is, I think, the best Seventh (including the last version by Karajan/BPO). Richard Osbourne, the distinguished Gramophone magazine reviewer, over the years repeatedly gave rapturous praise to this recording, and I can't see the slightest reason to disagree.

All of the symphonies as recorded here are highest caliber and will not disappoint. This includes the Ninth. While the last recording from the 1980s set somewhat excels in recorded (digital) sound, the soloists in this rendering are arguably superior. The last version also benefits from a matured collaboration between Karajan and the BPO, which despite the occasional spats forged some of the most glorious recorded music available. But those differences are really only marginal. This Ninth commands its own respect.

Certainly, there are no better complete sets of these symphonies than any of those by Karajan and the BPO. (The Karajan/Philaharmonia set on EMI suffers by comparison for its 1950s technology.) Two complete sets, both by Bruno Walter, are equal to Karajan's interpretations: the monaural set with the NYPO (except the Phila. Orch. in Sym. 6), and the set in stereo with the handpicked-for-Walter (largely LA Phil) - sometimes underrated but really superb - Columbia Symphony Orchestra. However, there are comparable performances of individual symphonies, the most important of the Ninth, of course. The concert performances by Furtwaengler (war time BPO and 1951 Bayreuth Festival), Klemperer (1957 and 1961, both with the Philharmonia on BBC Testament), and Walter (especially fiery with the London Phil in 1947 on Music & Arts, among others in NY and Vienna), are certainly rivals to any of the Karajan recordings. But these are not part of complete cycles, and even Klemperer's marvelous EMI recordings of the 3rd, 5th, and 7th symphonies are studio versions, not on a par with his extraordinary concert performances. This recorded cycle was well worth it at full price, and the performances rarely equalled.

I've always been an admirer of Karajan's Beethoven. I pretty much cut my Beethoven teeth on the much lauded (by me, too) sixties set. In many peoples' minds I suppose it will never be surpassed.

However, in nearly every respect, this mid-seventies undertaking is a better set. I have, as have others, quibbles with certain decisions Karajan makes. For example, he seems to have no problem occasionally ignoring Beethoven's calls for repeats, while at other times he observes them scrupulously. It seems to me that if Beethoven says to do it, then you should do it. Karajan, apparently, doesn't agree.

One could quickly lapse into a minutiae-induced stupor over details. However, a couple will suffice: This is, without doubt, Karajan's best recorded Sixth. That said, it must be admitted his overall concept of this symphony has always been, for some, a weak link. I agree. Simply, there are probably better Sixth's in the catalog, although none could possibly be better played, interpretation not withstanding. Also, this Fifth is to be preferred over the earlier version, ignored repeats and all. The Ninth, arguably the crown jewel of the earlier set, is remarkable here. The soloists are all admirable, even if they aren't Janowitz, Ludwig, et al.

All-in-all, a magnificent undertaking, beautifully realized on CD.

Finally, as most know, Karajan undertook the complete symphonies one last time, near the end of his career (and life) in the early eighties. They are great. The sound is generally great (although not really better in any demonstrable way than here). But Karajan and his Berlin orchestra were having legal, personal and personnel problems which would finally force the Maestro to leave Berlin all together for his final few recordings. At this stage, probably the less said about the utterly disgraceful treatment the ailing Maestro was subjected to, the better. However, that final recorded cycle suffers, I think, from these problems. There are, at times, a certain sloppiness to the procedings Karajan would never have tolerated earlier in his life.

Happily, we have cycle two, in glorious mid-seventies Berlin sound, as a living testament of Karajan's superlative Beethoven.

Herbert von Karajan (1908-1989) recorded the Beethoven Symphonies four different times: with the Philharmonia Orchestra (early 1950s, EMI); with the Berlin Philharmonic (1961-62, DG); again with Berlin (1975-77, DG: THIS recording), and finally, in Berlin (1982-85, DG). Most critics consider either the 1961-2 or THIS recording to be Karajan's best Beethoven Symphony cycle. (The EMI has cramped sound, and the last cycle shows Karajan's eccentric side: somehow it doesn't "jell" and sound like Beethoven to me - it's more Karajan than Beethoven.)

These have Karajan's best Beethoven Symphony 5 and Symphony 6 recordings. The Berlin Philharmonic has the lush, rich sound Karajan was known for and will be remembered for by future generations of music lovers. The other symphonies are all very fine, too.

I should state my allegiences are for Bohm/Vienna Philharmonic (DG, 1970-72) in most of these symphonies. I also like Szell/Cleveland (Sony) for Symphonies 1, 3, 4 and 9; and Bruno Walter/Columbia Symphony for Symphony 3,4,5, and 7 (Sony). Thomas Beecham's EMI recordings of Symphonies 2 and 7 with the Royal Philharmonic are worth seeking out.

Karajan is very fine, if you don't have an allegience to a given conductor, as I do to Karl Bohm.

This cycle of Beethoven symphonies, recorded 1975-77 is Herbert von Karajan's strongest. It is also the best of his Beethovens for both performances and sound. Symphonies 5 and 6 are the best here of any others Karajan did, as are Symphonies 1, 2, 3 and 9.

Much of "the best" depends on personal preferences, but I prefer these to the last cycle, recorded 1982-84 for DG. The 1961-2 cycle (DG) is also very fine.

I won't go into details in the interest of keeping this review concise. But Karajan takes slightly slower tempos in Symphony 5: I and Sym. 6: I, II, making a better case for each work.

The sound is rather low level, and you may have to crank up your volume a bit + add some extra bass, as Deutsche Grammophon often shorts the bass a bit in some of their recordings. But the sound is clean, and overall very fine.

Read my reviews of Karajan's first DG cycle, also with the Berlin Philharmonic, for other details. This cycle is recommended, and highly thought of by many critics.

If you are looking for a perfectly-coiffed performance of the symphonies, not a hair out of place, this is the recording to get: unbelievably smooth unison playing, near-perfect balances, amazingly agile dynamics. It sounds wonderful, it certainly isn't dull, and yet...

That's the kind of agonizing ambivalence that many critics have felt over Karajan's performances, and it is certainly true of what I feel about this set. One is not likely to own a more polished performance of all nine symphonies, and yet strangely, it is not a set I am fond of. It is like a Shakespearean actor who has a good looks and a great voice, reads the lines without a stumble and with perfect modulation, yet leaves the audience cold. Karajan's interpretation draws all the attention to its suave self, and, somehow, detracts from the music's effect.

That said, I would feel mean to give this set less than a 4, even for just the seamless playing. The best performances are those of the 4th, the 7th, the 8th and the 9th. The finales of the 7th and the 9th are particularly electrifying.

This truly is an amazing set!
For me this set beats his famous 1963 recordings.
It seems that many people take it for a fact that most of his 1970 recordings lack power, passion and meaning without ever hearing those performances.

Yes you have that recognizable Karajan sound allover, but how this sound interacts with a certain composer or work you'll only find out by listening to it.
For example: I like the "kitschy" singing violins in this Beethovenset very much, it adds mysterie to the score.
The same singing violins (same recorded as well) however I dislike very much in his Bruckner-recordings.
Weird, because string-vibrato in general suits Bruckner's music better than Beethoven's.
But to me those strings rob Bruckner's music of its mystery and mystique.

As said, the main reason why people underrate this set and most of his '70 recordings is because of their general perception of Karajan's sound.
That Karajan sound isn't just the orchestral playing, but also the sound of the recordings and I agree that this sound can add too much "Karajan" to a musical work and can rob the music's identity
The Karajan soup, constantly flavoured by the same ingredients.
One particular flavour is the artificial sounding concert hall acoustic and it is this acoustic in partnership with those singing violins that might give some music that peculiar 1970 romantics feel: candlelight dinners, on the beach at the right time: when the sun is going down etc.

But it's not honest to judge all his music on these unlikable (or likable if you will) features
Under that polished surface of the recordings there is real passion, energy and drive and the playing isn't that polished at all.
Listen to the lower strings, they rub intensly and the brass isn't underplayed all the time, rather under-mixed.
I am probably the only person who rate these performances higher than his 1963 recordings, there I do not find the same energy, passion and speed.

Yes, the tempi are faster and I like them that way.
Of this set I particuarly like the 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th symphony.
The first two symphonies are given a too massive performance, in these works only a period intsrument ensemble can do a fine job or the orchestra must be smaller.

His 9th is let down by a too slow and not very rhythmical defined 1st movement. The rest, especially the adagio is superb.
The adagios in general I like better played by a traditional orchestra instead of a period ensemble.

His 3rd is superb.
Great speed in the first movement and the orchestra is playing their socks of, what power, drive and passion!
Same with the 7th.
Yes the brass could be better profiled and articulated, but the overall stormy performance generously makes up for these minor complaints.

His 6th is still the best I ever heard, to my ears this work is the most romantic in atmosphere and therefore everything matches even that "kitschy" recording.
And that's actually pretty funny because Karajan didn't care much for this symphony.

All these performances are not that cold and polished as the recordings might suggest.
In comparison with Gardiner I noticed that Gardiner's performance is much more controlled, polished and somewhat more polite than Karajan.
I recommend this set without hesitation, for me these performances are still up with the best.
Judge for yourself.

Good though these performances are, the 1963 ones are far better, perhaps with the exception of the 6th. The performance of it in this set has the best scherzo I have ever heard, with the repeat intact and oboe and horn playing that are out of this world (not at all like peasants, but never mind) and I never tire of listening to it. But that's where it ends. The first movement of the Eroica is misty and much too fast, a far cry from the superb offering Karajan gave us in 1963, the same goes for the 4th symphony. It reminded me of thick gluggy gravy. The 7th is very well articulated and hard to fault, and yet something is missing that is present on the 1963 recording. Go for the earlier set which has the best 3rd, 4th, 7th 8th and 9th ever made.

I happened across this gem at a half price book store. Price: $9. Seriously. So imagine my surprise when I get home and discover I actually scored one of the greatest complete symphonies of Beethoven. I have listened to many other conductors, many other recordings including the 1963 Karajan recordings; I have to say this is much better than most, and at least as good a recording as the 1963.

I agree with most other reviews that the 1963 is a less polished yet more exciting and risky recording. This version from the 70s tends to have a melody and elegance above the '63 while retaining the true heart of Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker and their tendency to produce resounding and piercing performances.

I have to say that this contains the single best version of the 7th symphony I have heard. The 5th is performed quite well, though the 1963 version does have a good version with a bit more flair. The 9th is great, but again, other performances equal this.

The much less popular 2nd symphony is another gem on this recording. Absolutely masterful, and I do not think that the 2nd can get any better than this (and it is one of my favorite works).

Deutsche Grammaphone continues to impress me with tremendous recordings and high quality CDs.

[...] -- this is high-energy, exciting Beethoven with considerable surface sheen. Karajan was tending over the years in the wrong direciton with Beethoven, and by the mid-Seventies one hears no grit, struggle, or inner conflict at all. As another reviewer asks, Is Beethoven supposed to be this easy? (Ironically, it got even easier as zippy period performances took hold.) I side with everyone who prefers the 1963 cycle. You'll notice that DG chose that one to refurbish in hybrid SACD sound (quite successfully) rather than this one.

Squabbles over Karajan never end. My main intention, however, is to point to a live Beethoven cycle from 1977-78 of broadcast material on the Memories label (being an Italian pirate, [...]. Karajan didn't necessarily become more spontaneous or excitable in concert, but these bargain recordings, in good FM stereo sound, often surpass the studio cycle from this period in energy and integrity. I never feel as though I have to wipe off a layer of furniture polish. Of course, DG's studio sound from this era is far better, even if it won't win any prizes.

My father took me to Camelot music in the Ocean County Mall in the 1970's and there in the classical isle was this boxed set in Vinyl form, I listened to each one every week. I am so glad to have found this now on CD so I can renew my love of Ludwig and Karajan