Customer Reviews

Mahler: Symphony No. 5 / Karajan, Berliner Philharmoniker

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Herbert von Karajan came to Mahler in a round-about way. His affinity with Richard Strauss and Anton Bruckner was life-long. Mahler he came to only after exploring the Second Viennese School of Schoenberg, Berg and Webern. Released in the mid-seventies this, his first Mahler recording is extraordinary. The performance has an intensity and recklessness to it that is not found in any of Karajan's other recordings. Also, it is the only Mahler Symphony recorded by Karajan abd the BPO in the Jesus Christus Kirche and not in the Berlin Philharmonie. This brings a presence and warmth to the recorded sound not achieved by the engineers until much later in the Philharmonie. The horrific opening of the work is a case in point. It is rough almost to the point of losing control. Critics of Karajans supposed lack of intensity and emotional committment would be well served to study this recording. Karajan went on to make other great Mahler recordings, but none ever with such abandon again.

Karajan's detractors have called his music-making bloodless, over-refined, glutinous; certain of HvK's dubious associations in early manhood have evoked harsher invective about his character--"reptilian," for instance. Yes, his recorded testament is uneven, but given its range how could it be otherwise? So are those of Toscanini, Beecham, & Stokowski, to name but a few whose legacies span several decades. This recording gives the lie to the canard that HvK was a passionless control-freak. While I do not agree with another Amazon reviewer that HvK lets the orchestra get away from him in the peroration of the last movement, this performance does have an unbuttoned quality that this conductor seldom displayed: in the second movement, one can actually hear HvK crooning a la Sir John Barbirolli as the music surges towards a climax! The Berlin Philharmonic is caught at its early 70's peak, with some nice portamenti by the strings (even if the 12"-Adagietto is too slow). All in all, tho' this is completely different in conception & orchestral sound from the others, it belongs in the same company as the Mahler #5's of Walter (Sony), Barbirolli (EMI), & Haitink (the concert performance preserved in the Philips Christmas Matinee set of Mahler symphonies with the Concertgebouw, available on-line from Kuijper Klassiek in Holland: www.kuijperklassiek.nl).

Mahler, with his fifth symphony, stands the notion of "classical" symphony completely on its head. The fourth symphony was just the beginning. Here, instead of emphasizing the ending (a "grand finale") he emphasizes the middle. What's called "the longest scherzo in history" provides the pivotal point of three massive sections (subdivided into 5 movements). And instead of a simple "ka-bang" of an ending (like his second and third symphonies provided) he throws in some comedy. Not only that, Mahler found himself fresh out of "Wayfarer" songs by 1901 and thus turned his attention more to non-vocal music. Mix that with some very forward looking dissonant flourishes and it becomes clearer why some historians refer to this as Mahler's first truly modern symphony. Some even consider this work the dividing line between nineteenth and twentieth century music.

Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic really beef and blast this one out. His focus on power and bombast may hide the more comedic aspects of the work, but those who prefer a romantic interpretation of Mahler will find it in this 1973 recording in droves. The explosions in the first movement violently spring forth. The shrieks that begin the second movement crawl up spinal cords. And the stacatto blasts near the end of the massive scherzo may cause techtonic movement. Lastly, the two "big endings", at the close of the second and fifth movements, blast like cannons to more than emphasize the connections between the sections (though the final one gets swept up in some subsequent humorous passages). They're really hard to miss. Some may find the interpretation overbearing or overwrought. Others may bathe in the charged romanticism.

Karajan and company really shine in the justly famous Adagietto. The version on this CD is truly heartbreaking. Its final Tristan chord stretches to very near breaking point before resolving like a sumptuous exhale after a long held breath. Many listeners discover the entire symphony through this movement alone. Some consider it Mahler's love letter to his future wife Alma (whom he married in 1902 during the same time this symphony took shape).

Those new to Mahler's fifth face some big challenges. At first the third pivotal movement may seem utterly impenetrable. The music changes with such dynamic ferocity to seem fleeting or hopelessly evasive. But the real treasures of the work lay here. Only through repeated listenings do the subtleties and mind boggling Escher-esque intertwining of themes emerge. And the structure of the entire piece really weighs on the intuitive notion of a piece of music and especially the idea of a symphonic work. At no time before had a composer emphasized the middle rather than the ending of a work. It's really something quite new for those steeped in the classical tradition. Mahler never makes it easy, but the effort really pays off once the piece begins to click. Plus Mahler quotes famous works as well as his own. The beginning trumpet riff echoes Beethoven's famous fifth symphony while also mirroring a passage from the first movement of Mahler's own fourth symphony. Shades of Wagner and Verdi also shine through the cracks. Mahler wanted to capture the full experience of the symphonic tradition and nothing, even history, was left out. So here in the fifth Mahler creates yet another world. It's open to multiple interpretations and so thematically thick that perhaps no two people experience it in the same way. And this remains an indelible part of Mahler's musical legacy. Karajan and friends offer one rather blustering interpretation of this amazing work. The adagietto is worth the listen alone.

"overrated?" "bombastic?" "Dripping sentamentality?" That reviewer demonstrates all that is troubling about listeners who worry that others might not recognize how "educated" they are. Karajan is generally recognized as the master of the adagio. He was not made director of one of the most eminent philharmonics in the history of music and he and the Berlin Philharmonic did not stay together for so long because he was "bombastic" or dripping his sentimentality. He is revered because he and his orchestra literally breathe life into beautiful music. Of course there are other great conductors - as well as great orchestras. Each list is very long. Karajan and the BPO are beyond magnificent - they are magical in their ability to transform the listener. This recording is from that magnificent magic. It is stunning in its beauty.

Gustav Mahler composed this work in the summer of 1901. That was the last `summer' in the bachelorhood of Mahler's life. However, the great composer had to revise the orchestration for many years, applying his enormous skills and abilities to intellectually appealing and complex instrumental colors he had conceived. The world premiere came in October 1904 in front of less sophisticated audience.
In 1904, such work was ahead in development, complexity and intricacy, like introducing an advanced electronic control system in the beginning of the twentieth century. Mahler conducted his composing and it was a great success
Herbert Von Karajan's interpretation is superb. Karajan has been an acclaimed conductor in his own right. Berliner Philharmoniker has also displayed a distinctive harmony to a heightened degree of performance.
In this Recording, the trio - Mahler, Karajan and Berliner Philhormaniker - have given the world a permanent artistic integrity fulfilling the wishes of demanding audience.

. . . even if he allegedly relied plenty upon rehearsal conductors, this is still one of Karajan's greatest orchestral recordings. Supposedly, just a huge amount of rehearsal time went into making this, and it shows. I'd invite anybody to sample any of the Windows Media excerpts above. After a perfect solo trumpet fanfare, listen to how dark and heavy the funeral march starts out. This is the real thing, and not some cheap imitation of a sleezy Verdi excerpt. Then go to the second movement - full of vehemence, just as Mahler's indication says to do. It's not just dark and heavy, it's also fast. Then listen to the start of the scherzo - the best excerpt of all. The rapid, ascending notes in the horn solo are executed quickly alright, but then Karajan directs a perfect ritard for the start of the laendler itself - just slow enough to have the correct amount of swing and lilt to a dance that's really half laendler, half Viennese waltz. He pegs it, and so too the climax of the famous Adagietto (not on the excerpt, obviously). The finale is about as good as it gets as well. If I'm not mistaken, I believe that this was the last recording that Karajan and the Berlin Phil. made in the Jesus Christus Kirche. If not, it's certainly one of the best sounding recordings to come out of the usually dry sounding Philharmonie. Forget all the nonsense about how Karajan wasn't good for this, or that, or for Mahler, blah, blah, blah - the evidence lays on a five inch silver disc. Find out for yourself.

Herbert Von Karajan was almost 65 years old when this recording was made. Nothing remarkable in that you'd think, the mandatory state retirement age means little or nothing to conductors, many of who are just entering their prime when most of us are drawing our pensions. What is remarkable though is that previous to this, in a career which had already spanned 5 decades and gained the kind of critical acclaim that most could only dream of, Von Karajan who was arguably the supreme interpreter of the Germanic repertoire during the post war period had never publicly performed or recorded any of Mahler's music.

During the earlier part of his career this was perhaps understandable, Mahler was Jewish and that coupled with the modernist nature of his music didn't exactly endear him to the Third Reich, but that doesn't explain the absence of Mahler from his repertoire after 1947. This of course led the critics of the time to scoff that Mahler was too great a challenge for Von Karajan, that the conductor lacked the depth and control required for this music, but his seminal recordings of Buckner's symphonies seemed to suggest that this was not the case. Anyhow, Von Karajan refused to be rushed and in 1971 when he finally felt himself ready, he began a round of rehearsals lasting almost two years, which included this recording.

For some the touchstone Mahler 5th will always be Bruno Walter, but in this recording Von Karajan treats us to an interpretation which is almost unique in its sensitivity, touching the listener in a manner that most would not normally associate with works of this monumental scale. This is particularly true of the slower passages. As I write, the 4th movement, Adagietto. Sehr Langsam, which was written at least in part as a love song to Alma Schindler who the composer married during the same period when he was writing this symphony, is playing in the background and of the many recordings and performances I've heard of this symphony and this movement, none have a beauty and innate understanding of the music that is so evident here. Von Karajan may have kept us waiting for the better part of a lifetime to hear what he made of Mahler's work, but based on this recording it was more than worth waiting for.

Most everything I would say about this recording has already been said by the other reviewers. I will merely add my cheers to theirs. This is an extraordinarily powerful recording of this piece, played by the Berliners with a virtuosity that never lacks for commitment to the feelings under the notes. They can play with astonishing, controlled brutality one moment, and with great tenderness or melancholy the next. Karajan seemed to have gotten this symphony truly under his skin by the time he came to it. One of the greatest Mahler recordings I have ever heard.

Anyone who would put down this recording must be listening to it on a substandard sound system because to my ear this is a performance of incredible intensity. Inbal's interpretation may be more balanced, but here we have Karajan at his best. The Berlin Philharmonic's opulent sound fits this music quite well, especially in the first and second movements.

In reference to the previous reviewer who did not understand the symphony, I can offer what this music says to me. The first movement is a funeral march-for a man (or woman) who has died. We see the pain and suffering of those left to mourn him. The second movement is very much related to the first, but here we have music of such violence and fury that one is certain that we must have been transported to hell. For a brief moment we see the light from above, but it is quickly dispersed. So, what we have so far is death and then straight to hell. At this point Mahler asks for a five minute pause before the third movement so that we can reflect on what we have just heard. One is left to ask, is this all that there is to existence? Was it all just a cruel joke? No! For what follows is a scherzo depicting the play of children, life in the country, indeed, the very essence of life itself. We are left with no worries or concerns. The fourth movement was Mahler's proposal to his wife, Alma, and we can easily hear how sublimely he says "I love you" to her. The fifth movement is a celebration, a party, a victory. Death has been left behind and we have the triumph of love, life, and celebration.

Karajan's Mahler may be too thick for some, but for me this is just the way I like it. Go ahead and experience this wonderful symphony for yourself!

Karajan's recorded legacy of Mahler is incredible. He started with Mahler late in his career, and as a result only left a few recordings. However, these are some of the best Mahler recordings available. In this particular one, Mahler's fifth, Karajan and the BPO play absolutely perfectly. The emotion, desperation, and depression that expect out of Mahler's fifth are all there, due to the incredible sound and playing of the BPO. The highlight, of course, is the famous adagietto, which is in my opinion the most beautiful and moving version that is currently available on record. The playing is fabulous and at a midprice, you can't go wrong with this disc. FIVE STARS!!