Customer Reviews

Karajan Conducts Grieg & Sibelius

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For those already familiar with the performances contained in this DG "2-fer", you're either a Karajan fan or you're not. The magic and sweep of the Berlin Philharmonic's strings under Karajan's baton were its signature. Not the best tool for edgy and angular 20th century repetoire, but for Karajan's core recordings of Early-, Mid-, and Late-Romantic scores--plus a key group of 20th century specialties--the BPO was practically unmatched in their suavity, virtuosity, sheen and beauty. Such was the case with his readings of Sibelius and Grieg anthologized here, with recordings ranging from mid-60s analogue sources to his digital era of the 1980s.

The 96/24 digital remastering has been largely successful in softening the glare and hardness of the 80s digital efforts while preserving their tremendous impact and presence...witness the noticeable improvement in the Grieg "Holberg Suite" and the Sibelius "Pelleas." In both cases, there's more "air" around the orchestra as recorded in the notoriously difficult acoustic of the Philharmonie. Likewise, the earlier analogue sources gain in a sharpening of focus and punch, while retaining the attractive ambience of the Jesus-Christus Kirche recording venue used by the BPO througout the 60s and early 70s. Tape hiss is well-managed and unobtrusive, while still permitting the percussion to sparkle and string harmonics to shimmer, as in the Grieg "Peer Gynt" selections and "Sigurd Jorsalfar" suite, plus a rightly acclaimed reading of Sibelius' chilling "Tapiola."

In sum, then, a good introduction to Karajan's art with Grieg and Sibelius. Likewise, seek out the DG "Originals" 2-fer of Sibelius' symphonies 4 through 7. Some Sibelians balk at the Karajan approach, the long, frankly beautiful lines and seemless phrasing. Vanska, Jarvi, Berglund, and others offer other avenues of interpretation. Nevertheless, few orchestra/conductor combinations could equal the partnership he shared with the Berlin Philharmonic when they were at their best, painting bold, dramatic imagery with strokes of singing color. Archly romantic, yes....but Karajan could make it work. And when those strings took wing...amazing!

. . .and even that is an understatement when attempting to describe Karajan's interpretation of the Peer Gynt Suite No.1, "In the Hall of the Mountain King." The movement is so fast that I'm surprised that the electrons in my iPod were able to keep up with the pace (I may have seen a few flames shooting off the screen)! I purchased this CD (actually, downloaded it) because I lacked good recordings of several pieces on this fine set of works by Grieg and Sibelius. Each is performed with meticulous attention to attention to every subtle nuance within their respective pieces and explore the full range dynamic contrast, detail to tempi, and exceptional clarity. In all, these recordings are an outstanding addition to a collection of classical music.

I purchased this DVD for the Holberg Suite. The music is not loud enough for me, and the beat is a little bit militaristic. I prefer a smoother version of that piece.