Customer Reviews

Mozart: Symphonies 35, 36, 38, 39, 40, 41 / Karajan

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OK, I'm a Karajan fan. And I like a lot of his recordings that are dismissed by many.

So it's not too surprising that I like these recordings. And if you like the late Mozart symphonies played by modern instruments with a largish complement of strings, you may well like them, too.

Despite the fairly large number of players, Karajan keeps textures light and airy (something that wasn't always true in his late-in-life Mozart performances). There is a great deal of detail in these performances. Tempi are generally quite fast. These are energetic yet very graceful performances. To my ears, very little of it sounds heavy (though I do think that number 35 sounds a bit heavy at points). Quite the opposite, in fact.

I don't mind that few of the repeats are taken, but that will probably disqualify these performances for some people.

If you don't like lots of legato in your Mozart, if you don't like orchestral playing that puts a high value on sheer beauty of sound in these works, you won't like these performances. But if you do like that sort of Mozart, you will probably like these performances. Of that style, they are exemplary. The slow movements, quite beautiful but not romanticized, are especially fine.

For whatever it's worth, I do also like Mozart on period instruments. I can't help but suspect, though, that Mozart would have been very happy with performances that sound as beautiful as these do and that he would have enjoyed hearing these symphonies with a larger complement of strings than he would have had.

On another Karajan/Mozart CD, the Amazon reviewer wrote that Karajan's interpretations are too smooth and not detailed enough for many people's tastes. Fair enough. But you actually find a lot of wonderful music on this inexpensive 2 CD set. First of all, the tempi are excellently chosen. Karl Bohm's tempi (with the same orchestra, the Berlin Philharmonic, so an interesting comparison) are sometimes too slow and almost cumbersome. The third movement of the 41st has a fine pace that accentuates the waltz-like feel of the the music. The 1st movement of the 40th, which is often taken too quickly or too slowly, is just right. Secondly, there is actually a lot of fine detail in the winds, and the big lush sound of the Berlin strings is an enjoyable treatment of Mozart, after the abundance of chamber and period recordings of his symphonies. This is a fun set that includes many musical gems. However, you might want to try the versions of Barenboim, Szell, Bohm, or Marriner as well.

I agree with several other reviewers here that this might not be the only recording you'd like to have of Mozart's late symphonies - but it's certainly worth a hearing. My personal favorite among Mozart's late symphonies is the Prague (#38) because the contrapuntalism in the first movement produces a remarkable back and forth between joyousness and darkness (I believe the Great Amadeus, as Alex the Droog called him, was playing with something like six different themes in the this movement). So, I bought this set to hear how Karajan approached the "Prague", but enjoyed the rest of the set thoroughly, as well. The second and third movements of the "Prague" are spacious and beautiful.

Karajan and the Berliners, with their sheer resources in sound (particularly the strings), play some of this music almost as if it were Brahms, and with routinely rapid tempi. Emphasis on the word "almost" - Karajan pulls back from the brink of distorting the music and I don't think he sacrifices detail with lushness of sound and fast tempi. Even a nonmusician can hear in these recordings the glories of structure that Mozart achieved in these late works, with the result that they are so often far greater than the sum of their parts. Purists perhaps won't like them, but these recordings swept me out to sea. If you listen to Bruno Walter's romantic interpretations of the G Minor and the Jupiter, Karajan hasn't wandered so far from home here. The renowned Karl Bohm recordings have always seemed a bit slow to me. Those interested in a lacier, less lush approach might want to look into Beecham's recordings, which are more in the purists' mold.

These are some of the best orchestral musicians in the world allied to one of the Western world's greatest artistic genuises. You can't go far wrong with the combination - Mozart's genius was that his music wasn't confined by the 18th century instrumentation he was working with. It is his music's structure, here serving the less facile and deeper qualities of his later musical ideas, that gives this music its greatness. This is certainly a recording worth your time and effort.

Mozart's late symphonies is music treasure and should be appreciated by any classical music lover. I have two favorite versions of these works. One is conducted by Karajan, the other is by Sir Charles Mackerras.

To make comparison, the highly praised Mackerras's interpretation does not necessarily beat Karajan's. Take No. 39 for example, I think Karajan's interpretation is better. Mackerras's is somewhat too fast and Karajan's rhythm is dance-like and quite appropriate. However, Mackerras's No. 40 is more impressive. Karajan's No. 41 is grand and Mackerras's is stylic. Karajan's first movement of No. 38 is more exciting than Mackerras's.

Karajan is an essential Salzburg Austrian and breathed Mozart's music air since child. His Mozart is one of the most Mozartean: Style, singing and dance-like rhythm, which are fully expressed in these CDs. The sound of 70's Berlin Philharmonic is perfect.

This is a terrific version of a set of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's later symphonies, Numbers 35, 36, 38, 39, 40, and 41. Herbert von Karajan conducts the Berlin Philharmonic and the end result is splendid! I have reviewed a few of von Karajan's interpretations of works before, and it appears to me that a lot of people just don't much like his conducting. However, this--to me--is fairly typical of his body of work, and the quality is high. And it helps to have that wonderful instrument, the Berlin Philharmonic, as a partner in making music.

Writing about each of the 6 symphonies on this 2 CD set would make this review way too long, so I'll just take a look at one of these (my favorite of the group, as a matter of fact): Symphony No. 40 in G Minor.

The First Movement. . . . Those familiar opening phrases, with the strings fairly singing. The music moves in an arc until a crescendo. Von Karajan's conducting produces, for me, a kind of tension in this movement and the pace is lively (Molto allegro). The Berlin Philharmonic is in good form here (as with the other 5 symphonies as well).

The second movement is taken at a slower pace (Andante), and it is an elegiac and reflective work. Here, I use elegiac in a manner different than its standard definition. In the Wikipedia, an elegy is defined differently from its normal usage. E.g., William Wordsworth said that poetry should come from "emotions recollected in tranquility." And that is the sense of this second movement to me. The movement flows smoothly. The liner notes indicate that some critics have said that this symphony has a "tragic" air to it and is filled with "melancholy." Sorry, I don't sense that, certainly not in this slow movement, which I see as pensive--but not melancholy by any means.

The third movement is another treasure, beginning with a majestic passage. The pace is quickening over the second movement (Allegretto). Toward the end, the woodwinds and horns sing out.

Finally, the exquisite closing movement. The pace quickens further (Allegro assai). This movement "livelies up" the listener/audience. A wonderful way of concluding this masterpiece of Mozartiana.

This particular symphony as well as the other 5 surely demonstrate Mozart's genius. And they also display the art of Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic. If you like Mozart's symphonies, you should enjoy this 2 CD set.

...for the rest of my life, I would choose this, easily! What a splendid condemnation. Mozart's symphonies are yet to be fully appreciated, in this age where Beethoven is blasphemously used as a union anthem.
Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic's version of Mozart's late symphonies is the first I heard. I much prefer it to Karl Bohm, for one. I love the hugeness Karajan gives it, and when hearing other orchestras and conductors I am left wanting. Karajan has become the definitive Mozart interpreter for me, with him being the first conductor I seriously listened to Mozart of.
The sound of the recording is heavy and atmospheric, and I like this.
My favorites here are the first and second movements of 'Haffner,' the Presto of 'Linz,' the first and second movements of the 40th... and Mozart's 39th and 'Prague' symphonies hold an illustrious place in my heart, they are truly my greatest experiences with this greatest of arts (music!). I am eternally grateful to Karajan for interpreting them for me, and with such power and greatness, as only he has done and could do.

This is probably the finest big-band Mozart recording currently available. Ensemble is always impeccable and the analogue recording hardly shows its age. Just listen to the first movement of the Prague symphony and the final movement of the Jupiter which will have you wishing that Karajan observed all the exposition repeats. Outstanding value.

All in all, this cycle is more convincing than the 1970 EMI survey. The DG engineers were in top form during these sessions, thus averting some of the 'Herbie soupiness' that afflicts the earlier cycle. Just listen to the coda of the Haffner's first movement: where else is one to find such elan? Similarly, the Linz (listen to the end of the last movement) and the Prague are stunning performances: the hair-raising contrapuntal development section in the first movement of K 504 is eaten alive by the Berlin Philharmonic, then at the height of its powers.

K 543 was a Karajan warhorse and this recording is the one to have - no wonder this combination had a reputation of being near-infallible in the 1970s. That being said, I have never found Karajan to be overly convincing in K 550 - just listen to the live Furtwangler performance in way of contrast Mozart: Symphony No, 40 K 550 & Piano Concerto No, 20 K 466. Great performances of the Jupiter are rare indeed and I am not sure that this is one of them, good as it is. The key repeat is omitted in the last movement.

To sum up, the best versions in circulation of the Haffner, Linz, Prague and K 543, supplemented by respectable enough performances of the G Minor & the Jupiter. The remastering is praiseworthy indeed.

I'm amazed by how Mozart's music fits in a modern orchestra. Except 40 and 41 (the obvious), the other symphonies are incredible. You will have a lot to enjoy: from technical detail, to artistic invention. One can clearly see where Beethoven get his inspiration from, and Mozart is second to none with this sort of direction and craftsmanship by Karajan and the Berliners. Probably the best orchestration by Mozart (including piano ctos 15 & 21 and the Requiem in d minor).

Nowadays there are an increasing number of recordings of Mozart with original instruments. I think it is a valid procedure, but the traditional executions are still worth hearing. Being first-class works, Böhm and Karajan's recordings are the most easily available. Karajan's is more dynamic, a desirable quality of an execution of Mozart. Conducting the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Karajan returns to the composer with whom he began his career. It is a superb work.