Customer Reviews

Karajan Forever: The Greatest Classical Hits

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3 star:		(1)
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A veritable who's who of pieces & composers, the CDs Karajan Forever will hopefully live forever.
Herbert VonKarajan was the conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic from 1955 until his demise in 1989. His vision & helmsmanship of this magnificent orchestra have literally changed the way a whole generation heard music.

In this 2 CD collection, DG has kind of done a Greatest Hits. Everything from the Four Seasons by Vivaldi to Opera Overtures, Ballet Themes and Piano Concertos. There is truly something for everyone on this CD, but being an opera fan, 2 of my favorites are on disc 2. The Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana and the Meditation from Thais. This music simply transports the listener to another place and time. The Philharmonic is so in sync- so one that it is hard to believe how huge they really are. I can wholeheartedly recommend this CD without reservation. And it's a steal at $... for 2 new CDs. For more information on this CD & others in a line paying tribute to Maestro VonKarajan, go to his website: karajan.org
Enjoy!

Another fine recording of classical music, as conducted by the man considered to be the greatest conductor of the 20th century- Herbert Von Karajan, whose position as conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic made that particular orchestra unbeatable and at number one in the list of world's greatest orchestras. Karajan was involved with the Berlin Philharmonic's musical development for years, until his death in 89, before the Berlin Wall fell, an event he did not live to see. This recording has to the best of Karajan's many collected classical pieces on record. It is a perfect introduction to classical music itself and to Karajan's style. A plethora of composer and time periods- from Baroque, to Classical to Romantic- are all on here. Vivaldi's Spring opens the CD, and is followed by the melancholy and fatalistic sounding Baroque classic Albinoni Adagio in G. This is followed by Mozart's 40th symhony. The first Romantic Era symphony on here is Dvorak's famous New World Symphony, which Karajan conducts with supreme mastership. The Intermezzo from the verisimo opera Cavalleria Rusticana is on here and sounds absolutely breathtaking. The suite of Bizet's Carmen is musically intoxicating and the Bolero has never sounded hotter, except for maybe Zubin Mehta conducting it which I've heard live and know is absolutely wonderful. The famous Waltz from Tchaikovsky's ballet masterpiece Sleeping Beauty is on here as well as the Third Act Prelude to Verdi's Traviata. The final track on CD 1 is Saint Saens Organ Symphony Finale.

The second disc opens with a masterful version of the powerfully evocative Also Sprach Zarathustra by Richard Strauss, another Austrian composer Karajan championed. The Swan Theme from Swan Lake is on here, as well as the Viennese Waltz favorite On the Beautiful Blue Danube- something I didn't know Karajan even conducted. But being Austrian, I'm not surprised. Karajan even conducted Johann Strauss' Die Fledermaus as well as other waltzes. Back to Baroque, he continues with the Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 by Bach and the gorgeous and somewhat gloomy Dance of the Blessed Spirits from Orpheus and Eurydice by Gluck. The CD ends with the elegant and beautiful Waltz of the Flowers from Tchaikovsky's Nutracker. This is a must have for fans of classical music, as a lot of favorites are on here.

A great selection. I bought one for my husband, and later the other one for my parents.
Quality, and a superb selection of masterpieces.
A must have for classical music lovers, and for everyone who wants to get introduced to classical music.

I adore Karajan.
And I agree that this cd have a wide sampling range of his excellence.
But, I also wanted this to be a perfect recording.
I swear, static noises and recording equipment ringing(!!) is driving me crazy.
It has completely RUINED "Adagio for Strings in G minor", and sound of "From the New World" is just pathetic.
Hey, it's a deal to have 20 or examples of Karajan's work for 10 bucks. (or maybe not, if it makes you miserable like it did me.) it's definitely not the best recording out there.
I should have spent a few more bucks. :(
I am beating myself for it. I only gave it 3 stars for the genius of Karajan. The album doesn't deserve one.
Get something else, you cautious folk!

I like it!! However, I still can't find the version I bought in Taiwan, the one is the best hit!!