Customer Reviews

Smetana: The Moldau/ Liszt: Les Preludes/ Sibelius: Finlandia and Pelleas et Melisande

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

 

 

Herbert Von Karajan's recording of these famous compositions by Smetana, Sibelius and Liszt is excellent. This Deutsche Grammophon 1983 issue is one of the few Karajan DDD discs that I own, but it rates as one of my favorites.

Smetana's Vltava (The Moldau) is wonderfully conducted. Under Karajan's direction, the Vltava sounds both idyllic and majestic. Sibelius's Finlandia, another landmark composition, receives equal treatment under the German conductor. Karajan's translation of Sibelius's famous piece is somber yet bold. He also provides a solid and enjoyable rendition of Sibelius's Pelleas et Melisande. And Karajan's interpretation of Liszt's Les Preludes is equally enjoyable. While Liszt didn't write many epic compositions for orchestra, this particular tome poem certainly ranks as one of his most exciting pieces. And in Karajan's hands, its power and beauty have been seamlessly intertwined.

This DG compilation is a great disc, and at a bargain price, it is definitely worth owning. The DG sound quality is first rate as expected, and the Berliner Philharmoniker under Karajan once again turns in another exciting, vibrant performance. For people unfamiliar with the three composers on this disc, this is a great place to start. This disc brings together their most famous works, and under Karajan they each sound great.

The centrepiece of this CD is Sibelius' Pelleas and Mellisande, written as incidental music for a Finnish theatre production. UK readers will recognise the first movement as the theme from 'The Sky at Night'.

Karajan did much to promote Sibelius, and this is a fantastic rendition of his most neglected masterpiece, full of ravishing broody chords in the string section and haunting brass.

Finlandia, on the other hand is one of his best known pieces, and this is a rendition with lots of of energy and flowing forward movement.

The CD is topped and tailed with Smetana's Vltava and Liszt's Preludes, which fit well. The Preludes is a particularly lovely recording.

All and all this is a lovely collection from Karajan and the Berlin Phil in stunning form. If you like Sibelius's symponies and shorter tone poems you'll enjoy this.

In works which required a depth of thought, Karajan was in a class of his own as an interpreter. In works that did not plumb these depths of thought, Karajan seemed detached and uninvolved. He is not as distinctive in this beautiful set of tone poems by Smetana, glorifying the Czech countryside and spirit. When such illuminating versions exist by Rafael Kubelik and Zdenek Macal, Karajan by comparison does not give the music freedom. It is the hard truth for Karajan collectors, myself included.

Karajan already had a vast output of light classics before the advent of digital sound, but in his last decade he plunged in to revisit his past glories. To some ears the second (or third or fourth) go round was too polished, even glib. Such complaints became a cliche, and the wise listener will pick carefully through the good and bad. It's amazing to me that a musician with Karajan's depth could also morph himself into a pops conductor. When he wears that cloak, I am happy to be enveloped by the dream, creamy Karajan sound.

This is definitely a dreamy Moldau, taken out of its Czech element and played with a smooth, cosmopolitan air that will displease quite a few. I luxuriated in it as the single most luscious=sounding version I know. Since he never recorded a complete Ma Vlast, I imagine that Karajan had no interest in Smetana, but he recorded Sibelius many times, and this Finlandia, his last, is gritty and intense. Unlike everything else on the program, the Pelleas and Melisande incidental music hadn't appeared before in the conductor's discography. I find this to be tepid, at times simple-minded Sibelius; it takes Beecham's magic touch to lend it charm. Karajan isn't charming. He gives this slender score the full-on Berliner treatment. I can appreciate that, and there are moody moments when it works well, but I didn't come away feeling that he had taken the varnish off a neglected masterpiece. Suavity goes only so far. ?The program ends with "Les Preludes," a pops piece that was once as ubiquitous as the 1812 Over. I want it to be played to the last ounce of bombastic exuberance. Karajan doesn't have the temperament for that, but his grand, sweeping account is has its satisfactions.

All of these are polished perfomanced with extremely fine balances..this is one of the finest Moldau recordings ever! Obviously Karajan still can stir controversy which is why these performances are hard to ignore...listen to the incredible blend and you will know you are in for something special. Even Karajan can make the Valse Triste of Sibelius something better then it really is...!!!

This item was sent to New York city and was received satisfactorily even though it was a christmas time rush. I'm happy.I sent it to my grandson to guess what Smetana was suggesting in his music.

As he so often did, Karajan homogenizes these works to the point where everything sounds the same. Beautiful, but the same. These pieces may not be at the pinnacle of classical music, but the Moldau in particular deserves a lot better than this. Look further.

I have admired Karajan's work at times, especially when he was with the Philharmonia Orch. during the 50's and his work with Janowitz on Strauss' 'Four Last Songs', but this recording is a loss on all counts.

A total miss when it comes to what's really slavic about Smetana's most popular work, Karajan misses the point. The title on the cover gives the disc away because it's not 'Die Moldau' in Bohemia, it's 'Vltava' and Karajan's homogenized and decidedly Germanic reading literally diverts 'Vltava' towards the death valley of dry, banal interpretation.

Liszt 'Les Preludes' is not much better. 5 minutes into listening to it, I was turning it off. Another waste. The only reason one should buy this disc would be to compare what Karajan became from the 60's onward as opposed to what he was in London. Look for his 'Moldau' and 'Les Preludes' accounts with the Philharmonia and then listen to this nonsense. It's quite a paradox.

All this critique's unhelpful votes are inconsequential to me because I received them for not being a fan of this album and/or Karajan; pretty stupid reason for voting my critique unhelpful. Then why do I bother? Am I being taught a lesson for disliking a recording by the great Herbert von Karajan? If there are much better recordings of this music, and there ARE (Gunnar Stern and the LPO (Liszt) Vaclav Smetacek and CPO (Smetana), there's no reason to recommend this album regardless of who's conducting and who's playing. It's just not a good recording.