Dvorák: Symphony No. 9 / Smetana: Moldau ~ Karajan

Antonin Dvorak (Composer), Bedrich Smetana (Composer), Herbert von Karajan (Conductor), Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
• Conductor: Herbert von Karajan
• Composer: Antonin Dvorak, Bedrich Smetana
• Audio CD (October 12, 1993)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Deutsche Grammophon
• ASIN: B000001GJU
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #85,051 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

KARAJAN HERBERT VON / WIENER P. O. DVORAK: SYMP. N. 9 / SMETANA: MOLDAVA

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Five stars for the sound, November 17, 2002

By 

Tim Hitchner (Vancouver, British Columbia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dvorák: Symphony No. 9 / Smetana: Moldau ~ Karajan (Audio CD)

In his final days Herbert von Karajan was just crankin' 'em out, sometimes his third or fourth reading of a certain piece, just to try and get as much of his repertoire recorded digitally as possible. This recording - which was also used for one of his Telemondial video productions - is one of those. The Vienna Philharmonic the ensemble used this time after his fallout with the Berliners shortly before. I've had older renditions of this work on vinyl recorded with the Berlin Phil that were quite exceptional. I've always thought, why not just digitally re-master a 20 or 30-year-old recording from the late 50's through the early 70's when he was really in his prime, as opposed to issuing another rendition just to make a digital version of it? Nonetheless, these are still very fine readings of The Dvorak and the Smetana, and after reviewing a library copy, I would still be tempted to buy myself one of this 1985 issue just for the sound quality alone. The Deutsche Grammophon Original-Image Bit-Processing digital sound on this recording will blow you away.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars top notch, October 21, 2005

By 

G. Metcalf (United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dvorák: Symphony No. 9 / Smetana: Moldau ~ Karajan (Audio CD)

The Smetana on this CD was the highpoint for me. The Dvorak is a great work and I have heard many excellent productions of it. This one is very enjoyable and the sound is fabulous. All soloists are clearly heard and the stereo image is great. The surprise for me was the Smetana which it turns out is a lovely piece of music played and recorded beautifully here. The beginning in which he tries to reproduce the movement of water in a stream is captivating. That is followed by one of the more hummable tunes I have encountered in music. Recommended highly.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Karajan lovingly shapes his third "New World", February 15, 2008

By 

Santa Fe Listener (Santa Fe, NM USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dvorák: Symphony No. 9 / Smetana: Moldau ~ Karajan (Audio CD)

I hear something special in Karajan's late recordings with the Vienna Phil., an orchestra that brought out the most affectionate detail and sunniest mood in him. Besides this "New World," his third in the modern era, there's an inspiring Dvorak 8th, the last three Tchaikovsky symphonies, and legendary valedictory readings of the Bruckner Seventh and Eighth. The conductor wasn't to die for another four years when this "New World" was made, so we can't call it a farewell, and it's by no means as dreamy and laid back as the 8th from Vienna. Even so, it holds its own fascinaiton simply because of where it falls in Karajan's whole career.

As remastered, the mid-eighties digital sound has been tamed, but you need to be prepared for some snarling brass climaxes. The edges here are rougher than in Karajan's previous version on DG, from 1964. That one has reappeared in great sound on a two-fer in the Karajan Forever series (he never minded adulation, but outright idolarty seems excessive). Tempos are a fraction slower in the first movement from Vienna and a fraction faster in the Largo, but the overall interpretation remaines much as it was decades before. You'll hear extra lilt from the Viennese strings -- how could they not provide that? -- and tastier, less suave woodwind playing. The reedy quality of the English horn in the Largo falls nicely on the ear.

But don't expect rusticity or a special Czech flavor; this is big-city, echt Deautsche music-making. The Scherzo keeps up the prevailing strength of the whole reading (i.e., it's not dance-like), and the finale is robust and direct without bending over backwards to deliver a knockout punch. In the end, the recorded sound is bettter than on Kertesz's "New World" form Vienna in the Sixties, and the interpretation is at least as strong as Kondrashin's, also from Vienna on Decca. The CD is filled out with Smetana's Moldau, not exactly a rarity but welcome for the gorgeous, bubbling freshness of the orchestra's tone and for Karajan's suprisingly dreamy way with the score. You'd never guess that this is a warhorse.