Customer Reviews

Herbert Von Karajan - His Legacy for Home Video: Ludwig Van Beethoven - Symphonies 6 'Pastorale' & 7

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

 

 

At this point, Sony has released all of its von Karajan performances of the Beethoven symphonies on five DVDs. They are all very good performances, created for film (rather than concert performance) in the early 80s. Von Karajan conducts the Berlin Philharmonic, his personal orchestra, and the performance is as much von Karajan as Beethoven. Musically, these are very fine performances, with von Karajan in absolute control of the orchestra which plays very precisely. These are the performance as he wanted to present them -- smooth, well thought-out, and note-perfect.

There is probably no right way to put symphonic music onto film -- these productions (made by conductor's own film company) spend most of their time focused on the conductor with cut-away shots to both individual and groups of instrumentalists (also singers in the 9th), usually focusing on the instruments themselves rather than the players.

It is fascinating to watch von Karajan -- his authority in the music and with this orchestra are clear thoughout each performance. He conducts without a baton and uses his whole body to conduct, though not in a distracting way (I am thinking of Leonard Bernstein here).

The sound and picture on these DVDs are excellent; the sound is truly comparable to a well-recorded CD. The soundtrack is available both in stereo and also an excellent 5.1 Dolby mix. The disks have a set of program notes and a biography of von Karajan.

This is a good recording. Good sound quality.
The Beethoven Symphonies recorded by Karajan and the Berlin Phil. in the 70's have more energy and aparkle.

Many reviewers argue that Karajan plays too fast. I am not a musician, but if you compare this DVD with Solti's, the latter, in my opinion, is boring, too slow. Who knows how Beethoven would has play it? Course I do not, but this symphony played as Karajan does, is much more strong and full of emotions than played slower. I really like the seventh played fast. Karajan is the best playing Beethoven.

The 7th symphony may be the only one that I do not enjoy in all three Karajan/Berliner Philharmoniker's Beethoven Symphony Series. The speed is too fast which makes one feel a little too shaky. I would prefer the one performed by Karl Bohm/Wiener Philharmoniker in 1970s. I abandoned the idea to collect Karajan's 1980s Beethoven Symphony Cycle on CDs after listening to the 9th Symphony but I am still going to collect this set on DVDs, since it's not likely to get a better DVD set of Beethoven's symphonies. I would never go for it if I had a chance to have Beethoven's symphonies played by Karajan/Berliner Philharmoniker, Karl Bohm/Wiener Philharmoniker or Georg Solti/Chicago Symphony in 1970s on DVDs.

The 7th symphony may be the only one that I do not enjoy in all three Karajan/Berliner Philharmoniker's Beethoven Symphony Series. The speed is too fast which makes one feel a little too shaky. I would prefer the one performed by Karl Bohm/Wiener Philharmoniker in 1970s. I abandoned the idea to collect Karajan's 1980s Beethoven Symphony Cycle on CDs after listening to the 9th Symphony but I am still going to collect this set on DVDs, since it's not likely to get a better DVD set of Beethoven's symphonies. I would never go for it if I had a chance to have Beethoven's symphonies played by Karajan/Berliner Philharmoniker, Karl Bohm/Wiener Philharmoniker or Georg Solti/Chicago Symphony in 1970s on DVDs.

The music in this DVD is very good, the performance is good. I give it 3 stars because it was very annoying to watch the whole concert with the conductor's arm obstructing the instruments. You dont get to view the whole orchestra playing, but only reduced parts and with shots that are too close. The camera focuses for too long on the back of the conductor. I also have the ninth symphony and it also has the same problem. Great music, horrible video thet gets on your nerves...

Not 5 stars? Well, here is why. For the entire performance you get the best angels and close-ups for those intruments that have the lead in the piece. Narrowing down to the symphonies, the 6th is the best, that is in this DVD. I would say near perfection. Unfortunately, it has very weak horns and trumpets in the third movement and so you don't get the "calling" from them as Beethoven intended, and second of all, Karajan forgets to read the repeat signs in the score for it. Its second movement is beautifullly done though, excellent tempo and marvelous flute, clarinet and basson players, which also do great in the 7th Symphony. Now, the 7th symphony is the dark counter part of the 8th symphony. Some pieces are so very delicate that they must be treated with utter care. Its second movement is terribly done. It is played to fast and Karajan changes emotion near the middle as the orchestra winds down the A Minor scale. He begins this movement too fast, and with no emotion. The listener doesn't get to capture mysterious-self of the movement. Although it is to be played allegretto, he playes it allegro and too legato. This piece is very moody and if played at a wrong tempo you can get something else. This one failure to adhere to Beethoven's intention was enough to discredit one star.

Not 5 stars? Well, here is why. For the entire performance you get the best angels and close-ups for those intruments that have the lead in the piece. Narrowing down to the symphonies, the 6th is the best, that is in this DVD. I would say near perfection. Unfortunately, it has very weak horns and trumpets in the third movement and so you don't get the "calling" from them as Beethoven intended, and second of all, Karajan forgets to read the repeat signs in the score for it. Its second movement is beautifullly done though, excellent tempo and marvelous flute, clarinet and basson players, which also do great in the 7th Symphony. Now, the 7th symphony is the dark counter part of the 8th symphony. Some pieces are so very delicate that they must be treated with utter care. Its second movement is terribly done. It is played to fast and Karajan changes emotion near the middle as the orchestra winds down the A Minor scale. He begins this movement too fast, and with no emotion. The listener doesn't get to capture mysterious-self of the movement. Although it is to be played allegretto, he playes it allegro and too legato. This piece is very moody and if played at a wrong tempo you can get something else. This one failure to adhere to Beethoven's intention was enough to discredit one star.

I concur with an earlier reviewer that the performance of the Pastoral is the more successful of the two here. The 7th is taken at around 33 minutes with the 4th movement very fast indeed, although the Berlin Philharmonic responds well to the conductor's demands and it is exciting listening. The 6th is a bit more relaxed here than in his 1977 studio recording for Deutsche Grammophon, and the oboe and clarinet writing for the transition from the 4th to the 5th movements, when the storm subsides, is quite magically done. I also concur that the conductor receives a disproportionate amount of camera attention and the result makes the video at times a bit too theatrical. I was quite surprised to see Karajan conducting with his eyes open, which he was not reputed to doing, and giving quite a few cues to the players, more than I had expected considering the pedigree of the orchestra and their undoubted familiarity with the music. The lighting was rather mediocre. The audio was clear and well balanced. After the 6th is finished, the closing credits for its production are rolled for about 2 minutes, prior to the start of the 7th. I thought it was rather crass.

At 75 minutes it is not a very generous program, I would liked to have heard a short interlude piece between the symphonies and all the credits at the end. The written documentation consists solely of the available titles in the Karajan series.

Taken as a whole, it nonetheless remains an enjoyable video.

The music is great, the performance is great, and the audio is great. BUT one buys a VIDEO recording of an orchestra performing in order to SEE the orchestra performing. Yes, its great to see Karajan's conducting, BUT I don't need to just see him ONLY for the duration of the entire recording. Nor am I satisfied merely to be given glimpses of the various sections of the orchestra playing. Certainly not when the entire orchestra is playing! Wonder whose idiotic idea is this to allow us merely peeks here and there as if through the keyhole? Ought to be SHOT! One star, because I didn't get a video recording - its only as good as an audio one..... Fume!!!!