Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I'm obviously not as "into" classical music as I should be as I wasn't familiar with The New World Symphony until I happened to hear the National Symphony perform it in March 2007. But it's a beautiful piece of music with not one, but several, beautiful melodic lines that I recognized, but hadn't previously associated with this piece of music. "Oh, that's from the New World Symphony!" It's gorgeous stuff.

One thing that's sort of interesting about this symphony is that Dvorak doesn't repeat his melodic themes very often. There are some beautiful strains, but you'd best catch them when they arise because he clearly doesn't have a lot of repeats built into the score. On the plus side, this characteristic of the music encourages re-playing the CD.

Let me also say a few words about Smetana's "Moldau." This CD is more expensive than some other "New World" CDs, but I think it's worth the price premium due to "Moldau." "Moldau" is, as I understand it, the national song of the Czech Republic. It's a lovely tune, you can almost hear the river flowing through Prague.

I've found myself playing this CD a lot, which is the ultimate testimony to its virtues.

I have heard a few other recordings of this symphony, but I am no musicologist. As soon as I heard this recording, though, I never went back to any other disc. Karajan's majestic control and depth of exploration, two of his many magnificent hallmarks, are beyond sublime. I consider the "New World" Symphony and the "Moldau" some of the most powerful music ever written, and Karajan presents this awesome quality with such natural ease as he always does. The Vienna Philharmonic is not one whit behind him, and this stellar, long-venerated orchestra delivers a flawless recording.

Although this was the point in Karajan's career where he recently left the Berliner and went to Wiener and was trying to "bust out" as many digital recordings of his previous works and recordings, it is a great interpretation. The sound from this recording is absolutely phenomenal. Although my favorite recording of this symphony is Fritz Reiner with Chicago, the sound on this particular recording is outstanding. The way he takes the first movement slower in comparison really brings out the true quality of the movement. Great recording, would recommend for anyone's collection.

I don't need to tell you anything about the music, you'd have to have lived in a cave for your entire life to have never heard this. A few points on the performance - excellent pacing, great sound and the brass in the final movement is room-shaking. A great version for sure, with the added bonus of Smetana's Die Moldau from his symphonic poem, Ma Vlast. Kubelik's and Kertesz's readings of the 9th are probably better and more individualistic, but in terms of sonics this recording blows those out of the water. Expensive but worth every penny.

I only quite recently gotten into classical music and bought this album on a binge a few months ago with a lot of other classical music. I bought it mostly because of The Moldau. But listening to the album it grew near and dear very quickly and I found the music to be very accessible and memorable, to the point that I feel like I've known it all my life. It music is stunning, beautiful but also dramatic, powerful, dynamic and full of life. I wholeheartedly recommend this album, and unless you're a rock, you're gonna love it too.

I had high expectations for Karajan's Dvorak 9th when I checked it out from the local library. I was eager to hear what Karajan would do in this symphony of vast emotional range, especially the fourth movement's sublime last two minutes. Alas, Karajan uninterestedly rolls through the more deeply felt, tender, spiritual moments, giving us instead a recording that feels too stately for Dvorak. The interpretation is generally sober, ignoring the lighter moments of joy, but bringing to bear mighty force at the darker, terrifying climaxes. A strange reading, indeed. Sonically the digital engineering sounds good, particularly at the forceful brass-dominated fortes. Not sure if I would recommend this as the one to buy (I've still yet to hear the Kubelik and Giulini), but, if you're looking for sheer brass-power, this one may be for you.

It's a good solid performance of both the New World symphony and the Moldau, my criticism is with the recording itself. The opening of the first movement is so quiet that in order to hear it you have to crank the volume. Then of course it gets very loud, very fast -- nearly blowing out the speakers. I got it for the Moldau. (Honestly, if I had remembered this problem, I would have got a different recording altogether.)