Customer Reviews

New Year's Concert (2002)

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

 

 

Seiji Ozawa demonstrates his great affinity for the music of the Strauss family in this latest recording of the annual New Year's Concert in Vienna series. Under his baton the Vienna Philharmonic gives warm, brisk performances of classic works such as Johann Strauss II's "Die Fledermaus" Overture and the "Kunstlerleben" waltz. There are equally memorable performances of lesser known works such as the "Dragonfly" among others. These performances are certainly inspired, even if they fall short of the exquisite playing I heard under Nikolaus Harnoncourt's direction in the 2001 New Year's Concert. The sound quality is quite good, but not nearly as refined as Teldec's for the 2001 concert. Yet I am sure most will be quite pleased with this latest installment of the Vienna Philharmonic's New Year's Concert series.

Like his great mentor Herbert von Karajan in 1987, Seiji Oszawa opened his program with the "Fledermaus" overture, an all-time Viennese favorite that had been avoided in recent years by conductors like Harnoncourt and Muti who like digging up the eclectic for a concert that cries for crowd-pleasers. Oszawa finds balance: popular pieces and lesser-played ones, like the "dragonfly". His touch with the orchestra is light, yet the pacing is wonderfully crisp and tight. In a program of waltzes and polkas you want to feel a certain airyness and lightness, and Oszawa finds it. The Vienna Philharmonic is brilliant as always and shines under his baton.

Seiji Ozawa is popular in Vienna, so it must be that the Viennese don't mind hearing their beloved Strauss played so oddly. Hardly a waltz or polka here sounds natural -- it's all fussed over and micro-managed to the point of frustration. Nothing is allowed to flow -- this is more like the dissection of a waltz than any kind of enjoyment of it.

I'm at a loss why the other reviewers praise this CD so highly; I could hrdly listen all the way through. It's one thing to rethink a composer's music, but for me Ozawa is tinkering pointlessly, and I began to wonder if he could actually conduct this music or had to fall back on originality simply because he was at a loss. In any event, thanks to buyers in Japan, this installment of the annual New Year's concert sold in record numbers. As you'd expect, orchestral execution is wonderful, and the recorded sound is fine. But to what end?

If the music of Johann Strauss is familiar to you, you'll be greatly suprised while listerning to this CD. But this surprise is a pleasent one. Not long ago It was a great question for me what does conductor do. I mean I usually listerned to vocal arias never mantioned the role of the man who's leading the orchestra. But Ozawa made me know the real value of the professional and genious conductor. He makes the music sound sooooo special and breathtaking that you sometimes feel yourself a little bit shy as if you're breaking some kind of mistery. I believe it's impossible to get used to classical music, but I supose Ozawa is one of the few who shows the other side of classical music, touching, unexpected, unforgetible. If you are looking for something special and classical as well, don't hesitate and buy the CD.