Customer Reviews

Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherezade; Tchaikovsky / Karajan

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Sheherezade is awesome...and as the Penguin guide and the first reviewer point out, the violin solos are gorgeous. Karajan conducts with passion and the orchestral color is brilliant. The 1812 Overture though sounds rushed and overpolished. I enjoyed hearing the choral introduction used in this 1812, but it just lacks spirit. The cannon sounds don't quite sound like cannons either. I'm not sure what he used. Buy this CD for the Sheherezade...

The only reason that I don't give this recording a full 5 stars is the sound. Although, the Original Bit Image Processing that DG has used to restore this performance is quite successful, the recording still fails to have a full sound in the lower sounds like the rolling of the tympani and the pounding of the bass drums. Also, somewhat problematic is the cymbal crashing. They don't ring as fully as on more modern recordings. Having said that, the spirit of the piece is incredible. I must say the violin solos by the concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic are among the best I've heard. Such challenging notes are hard to bring off beautifully and in this recording they shine brightly and bring a whole new meaning to the Symphonic Suite. In fact, I understood more fully who Scheherazade was when I heard the violin solos. The conducting on this piece is superb. Jessy Norman once said that Herbert von Karajan creates a magic carpet for a singer. It is true whether there is a singer on that carpet or just a listener. His ability to take you to another place through his conducting is truly amazing. Knowing that von Karajan made numerous recordings of various pieces, I am suprised he never made a digital recording of this piece. Perhaps, it is because he felt there was nothing more to say.

This disc features three of Russia's most familiar composition: Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade and Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture and Capriccio Italien. They are all so popular that almost everybody will recognize their famous tunes. So, of course, it should come as a breath of fresh air when musicians as great as Karajan and the Berliners try to tackle these masterpieces. Did they succeed in giving us something special?

Well, they certainly did in the Scheherazade. This is a work overflowing with a wealth of melodies combined with gripping drama. Karajan and the Berliners seem right at home in such a world. Karajan is gloriously intense, seeing all of the many mood changes, delivering them with finesse, while preventing things from getting out of hand (one of his greatest gifts as a conductor). Everyone wants to be kept awake during this work, and Karajan does the job. Clarity reigns even in the most climatic of moments, the buildup to the sinking of the ship in particular. Karajan has a wonderful eye for detail and even though this disc is from the 60's, you can pick up on wonderful contrasts that are present throughout. And I shouldn't forget to mention the win of the performance--the 3rd movement. Here the Berlin strings take us out of this world with the power of their beauty and elegance. I didn't know such a thing was possible in this work, but it appears that it is. Despite this recording's age, it is just as indispensible now as it was when it first appeared on LP.

After hearing the Scheherazade, the Tchaikovsky sounds unsatisfying in comparison. Karajan is still intense, to be sure, but I don't hear him pulling out as many thrilling moments. Sometimes the music can border on sounding dull, and that is not what I want in my Tchaikovsky. It's strange, because Karajan has worked wonders with Tchaikovsky elsewhere. Perhaps he, like me, considers these works, particularly the 1812, to be overhyped and doesn't have much interest in the music. The average listener won't notice these setbacks, because things are still interesting to a degree, but experienced listeners will probably complain. In order for these works to really make an impression, solemnity will be out the window. But that is exactly what Karajan tries to incorporate, which keeps things from really coming to life. It wouldn't have hurt to throw more fun into the picture. At least that's how I feel.

To summarize, the Scheherazade is given a stunning performance that demands a listen, while the Tchaikovsky asks for more. But given the quality of the former work, you've got to own this disc. The recording quality is very good considering that it's from 1967. Buy this CD as if though you were only getting the Scheherazade, and there's no way you'll be disappointed.

in a few words i Bought the disc about oveerture 1812. Is the complete and original Tchaikovsky version, Choral & orchestral, the play is good not outstanding. Relative Rimski is regular, Reiner is the king about all Scherezade's recordings...can you be imaginate.

Karajan is often criticized for the homogenized sound of his later recordings, yet he made some exceptional ones during his long career. The beauty of the string playing in this recording of Scheherazade is certainly appealing, and the violin solos are gorgeous, as others have noted.

This well-loved music based loosely on the Arabian Nights is redolent with innocence, wonder and mystery. It has earned its place among the most popular classical works ever written. However, Karajan pulls and nudges at lines throughout, distorting the dramatic flow of Rimsky-Korsakov's score and, especially in the inner movements, the sense of magic that makes Scheherazade so engaging is thereby lost.

More problematic is the brass. The unpolished play is evident in Scheherazade, but is so sloppy and disjointed in the other two pieces on the disc that those works are seriously marred. Even those unfamiliar with the music will notice the miscues, the undisciplined honking and braying. Other reviewers have already mentioned further problems with the Tchaikovsky pieces.

Overall, it is difficult to recommend this disc, even at mid-price. The Penguin Guide remarks that this is not one of Karajan's best. There are many competitive recordings available that would be more satisfying. The recording by Mackerras with the London Symphony is very well done, with excellent Telarc sound. The recording by Serebrier with the same orchestra on Reference Recordings offers state-of-the-art sonics and is coupled with a very fine performance of Rimsky-Korsakov's compelling Russian Easter Overture.

The distinction this recording of Sheherzade is its sonic balance between soft and loud passages. This is especially evident in the third section. Other recordings tend to soften the volume here, with the result of making the movement practically inaudible at lower volume settings; this recording's third movement has no such defect. The DG engineers were not "afraid to turn up the volume." The strings are glowing and the double basses truly resonante in the third movement. The recording, strangely, does have thinner low-end resonance in the other three movements. Nevertheless, this is more than compensated by the even-handed treatment the DG engineers gave the overall recording. The orchestra's playing is the typically excellent quality one would expect from the Berlin PO and Herbert von Karjan.

The Capriccio Italiane is among the most enjoyable and powerful interpretations I have heard. The playing is energetic and the sound is full-blooded, though slightly thin on the low-end. Karajan's account of the 1812 Overture is an added bonus to the disc, bringing the total time to nearly 80 minutes.

I would recommend this historic 1967 recording as an addition to one's collection of Sheherazade recordings. It is a reference to an earlier age, in which more primitive sound quality simply gives way to the musical gifts of one of the world's great orchestra-conductor pairings.

Despite being of analog quality, the listening satisfaction of this recording cannot be beat. I gave it 4 stars due to the familiar hiss of the era's analog technology. However, I was so enthused after listening to this recording of Scheherazade that I continued to successively buy three more DDD & SACDs convinced there had to be a comparable recording with all the added audio spatial resolution. The increased fidelity simply showcased orchestral flaws that detracted from listening ease of that first Karajan recording. DG must re-masters this and Resphigi's Pines of Rome that will inevitably be worthy of a 5 star rating. You will not find a better performance. I highly recommend this recording even if you already have a different rendition. Karajan is simply the standard here.

Though to this day I consider Karajan to be unsurpassed as a conductor, this is one of the few of his recordings than can be avoided. As others have pointed out, the strings are particularly in Scheherazade polished but in the overall I get the feeling that the ensemble was not able to get their usual synergy. It sounds as little pieces of music put together one after another instead of a whole work. For Scheherazade I seriously recommend trying Gergiev's, Reiner's, Mackerras's or Kondrashin's. As for the 1812, again, not bad but far from being the best around.

...then this is the recording for you. Unfortunately, those of us who own modern digital systems might find this a disappointing buy. The Scherezade is gorgeous and passionate and the 1812 is firey, but the 1969 recording lacks the pure highs and the resonant lows that one would expect. Furthermore, the choir on the 1812 is weak, unbalanced, and stages an ear-tweaking vocal free-for-all. I would heartily recommend this album to anyone who is looking for a profound Scheherezade, and whose sound system is older than I am. -Michael Richardson, 21

Don't think what is played under Von Karajan's baton is certainly good. This is the proof. The sound and remstering are bad. The conducting, or Karajan's reading of this profoundly Russian piece of music, is almost good. It is ok. But there are several fine readings by Reiner, Stokowski, Fedoseyev. The cover design is the same as it is on the LP of this piece. It is nice. The 1812 overture is poor.