Customer Reviews

Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra, Don Juan / Karajan

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Recorded in the Jesus-Christus-Kirche in Berlin in 1972 and 1973, Herbert von Karajan's interpretations of these essential Richard Strauss works are among the best available. Although he receives criticism for his interpretations of other composers, Karajan is a near-undisputed master of Strauss (with whom he shared similar musical aesthetics). Although his 1959 and 1960 London/Decca recordings of the same works with the Vienna Philharmonic are also excellent (and also available at a reasonable price), this recording has a bit more atmosphere.

Unfortunately, due to its fame, the very familiar introduction of "Also Sprach Zarathustra" overshadows other wonderful sections of Strauss' grand tone poem, including the waltz-like "Tanzlied." Although the introduction is (of course) played with appropriate grandeur and majesty, Karajan and the Berliners make the rest of this work equally memorable.

This recording also features two of Strauss' most famous tone poems, including the impish "Till Eulenspiegel" and passionate "Don Juan." Although the former runs the inherent risk of forced humor (the chaos Till creates at the marketplace, the "gross grimace" Till makes at self-important scholars), I've found that a less literal listening of the work makes it more enjoyable; one does not feel compelled to laugh, sit-com like, at canned humor. Barring these personal reservations about this aspect of the work, Karajan and the Berliners play wonderfully. They particularly work best in the sections when Till feels full of himself after the merriment, misery, and mischief he has created, followed immediately by his trial and execution; in this recording, the judges all sound like humorless, fascistic bullies next to poor Till's pleas; that he was "having a little fun."

A perennial favorite of Karajan's, and featured in his first-ever professional concert at the age of 20, the Berliners give a rapturous account of "Don Juan." In this work, Karajan has few peers (Rudolf Kempe's unaffected approach, recorded at approximately the same time, provides some of the closest competition). Horns thrust, kettledrums pound, strings sigh sweetly... The orchestra climaxes many times, with moments of profound sensual languor... I can think of no other compelling explanations to recommend this interpretation of Strauss' first major masterpiece. Worth the price of the recording alone.

Also worth the price of the recording is the "Dance of the Seven Veils" from Strauss' infamous opera "Salome," another favorite of Karajan's. This is a work lodged firmly between syrupy Romanticism and cruel Modernism, a dichotomy that melds into a truly special musical experience. For those unfamiliar with the rest of Strauss' revolutionary opera, this dance that Salome performs for her stepfather may whet the appetites of potential lovers of the opera (as it did for me). Karajan's sinewy interpretation of this orchestral piece builds to a wondrously frenzied climax, though with less feline sensuality than his 1960 recording with the Vienna Philharmonic.

The combination of Karajan and Strauss creates a dangerous magic. So, without reservation, I highly recommend this recording to hardcore Straussians, as well as novices to the composer's aural wonders.

This is surely the best performance of Strauss' Zarathustra I've ever listened to. Karajan, as always, is no less than perfect, and Schwalbé plays a marvelous violin solo. This original analog recording is even better than Karajan's later digital recordings of the same title.

Karajan and his beloved Berlin Philharmonic have been accused of "over indulgency" (for example, in the complete recordings of the Beethoven Symphonies, also available on Deutsche Gramaphon). However, the same cannot be said for this recording. Lustrous strings, powerful brass and clear and concise woodwinds, all combined under the virtuosity of probably, at the time, the world's greatest conductor with the world's greatest orchestra !

The opening of Zarathustra (made famous to the point of boring repetition from the movie 2001, a space odyssey), is easily susceptible to over emotional interpretation from the conductor; not so here.It is delivered with subtlety and combined with the awe inspiring power one would expect from the combination of the reputation of such a conductor and such an orchestra.

This almost "hands-off" interpretation of the work extends to the other Richard Strauss works also on the CD; Til Eulenspiegel, Don Juan and Salome, Dance of the Seven veils. For ANYONE interested in the works of this German composer, this CD is an absolute MUST!!! In over 35 years of listening to classical music, I would say this superbly re engineered recording from the original of 1974 represents the geatest interpretation ever made on vinyl (or in this case, digital)media of Strauss' best music.

An absolutely wonderful CD demonstrating the technical AND musical skills of an orchestra that during the 1970's and 80's was regarded as the world's best, being conducted by a conductor who, for over 30 years, was regarded as the world's best!

Herbert von Karajan recorded the great Strauss tone-poem Also Sprach Zarathustra three times, each time it was exceptional and each record ranks at the top of the mountain, so to speak. The first record was in 1959 with the Vienna Philharmornic. That was the version used by Stanley Kubrick in 2001: A Space Odyssey. This version that I'm reviewing here is from 1974 with the Berlin Philharmonic and there is a final version from 1983, also with Berlin. This 1974 account is probably the best ever from Karajan and possibly anybody. Perhaps the later 1983 has deeper, richer digital sound but this 1974 account is more passionate and breaths fire. The only reason I give it four and not five stars is the recording itself. The remastering has really brightened up the aural image and it sounds quite fierce at times. The later version, coupled with the tone-poem Don Juan is on the Karajan Gold disc, catalog number 439 016-2. Make sure you get that Gold disc to compare and contrast. If you're a fan of this work, you might want to get them both as there are a few, albeit, slight differences in the 2 recordings.

On this 1974 record I'm reviewing, track 2, Of the Backworldsmen is tremendously powerful, such sweeping string sound unlike in any Zarathustra you've ever heard and let's not forget to mention the riveting timpani at the famous opening. Unbelievable! However the later version packs quite a punch too in places on account of the digital sound, but it's not as driven or intense as this earlier Karajan version.

As for the music itself, Zarathustra is one of the most evocative and fascinating of the orchestral works of Strauss, from the famous opening to the transcendent fury to come to the hushed, meditative polytonal ending, contrasting the two keys representing man and nature. I want to pay particular attention to a couple of passages that display Strauss' strengths and weaknesses in this work. Listen to track 6, subtitled Of Science and Learning. Strauss composes a fugue based on all 12 tones of the chromatic scale, years before Schoenberg's shenanigans. The fugue is great, a dark sound rumbling from the bowels of the orchestra and then it grows and grows and wham, you get this ultra sweet sound on high violins! What's up with that? Strauss schmaltzing it up! Well, you can't have everything. Later in the work, Strauss uses the Viennesse waltz to convey the dance of Nietzsche's Superman. This is Strauss being at his ironic and humorous best and worst! Later the orchestra expands and explodes with unrelenting force in the part just before the Midnight Bell and then the music closes beautifully in the Song of the Grave. All in all, the tone-poem is a stunning display of orchestral wizardry and power and no composer in history could utilize the modern orchestra to the farthest range of it's capabilities like Richard Strauss. ( Gustav Mahler, Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Maurice Ravel and Ottorino Respighi are four of his contemporary challengers. Before them, Hector Berlioz was one of the true orchestral innovators and Richard Wagner revolutionized orchestral sound and what the orchestra could do. He stands apart from the others. Without Richard Wagner, there would be no Strauss or Mahler. )

The other works on this CD are quite a success as well, Karajan loved the tone-poem Don Juan and played it many times, Till Eulenspiegel is played well too, I might prefer Haitink's version here. The dance of the seven veils from Salome is highly sensual, but I prefer the power and sexual excitement of Solti's recording for this Salome excerpt.

I've heard many Zarathustras, two versions by Solti, the 1954 and 1960 Reiner versions as well as Kempe, Sawallisch, Boulez, Previn, Haitink and others, but it's Karajan I return to. This 1974 is top of the line but make sure to add the digital 1983 recording to your collection as well for comparison's sake, turn it up loud and be swept into ecstasy while sending all your neighbors into a fury!

Put aside his Nazi past, and Herbert von Karajan remains one of the most controversial conductors of the 20th century. There is still that famously aloof, arrogant personality to deal with, and then, there is the music. For some folks, Karajan's interpretations and recordings are without peer. For others, he's just TOO much... of everything... Period.
As usual, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Karajan himself put it best: "My whole purpose (in conducting an orchestra) is to achieve a momentary state of ecstasy through
music." Karajan's approach to music is, therefore, necessarily
HEROIC. That leads him to achieve results with some composers'
works that are spectacular, and just plain strange with others.
This recording is, unquestionalbly, one of the spectacular ones.

Stated simply: no one, absolutely, no one conducted the tone poems of Richard Strauss any better than Herbert von Karajan.
The affinity between composer and conductor extends beyond tempermnet and philosophy into the realm of sheer mysticism, and the music reflects this. I defy anyone to find a recording of
"Also Sprach Zarathustra" that's any better than this one. The only contender I can think of is one by the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by (you guessed it!) Herbert von Karajan.
Even the notable recording by Fritz Reiner and the Chicago Symphony sounds limp by comparison.

Clearly, Nietzsche's novella as philosophy struck an important chord in the soul of Richard Strauss, and he poured much of that soul into this composition, which is daring, dramatic, brooding
and poignant by turns. Nobody brought those qualities out of an
orchestra any better than Karajan does here. This may give the impression that the music tends to bombast, and the way it AVOIDS
bombast is precisely what is so stunning about this performance.
What frequently gets lost in discussions of von Karajan's art is
the remarkable CONTROL and discipline he exerted over his orchestral forces. It's not just all about BIG, heroic sonorities. There is a delicacy and precision to the softer passages in this music, and a control to the careful grading of
crescendoes that is breathtaking. When you reach the climaxes,
Karajan hits you with a wall of sound that makes you stop in your tracks and shake your head in disbelief of the miracle you just heard.

I really can't reccommend this recording highly enough. It is one of those serendipitous experiences where everything, the matching of composer, conductor and orchestra, all falls into place
just exactly right. If you want to know what all the heat and passion over Herbert von Karajan is all about, look no further.
This is some of the most STUNNING music-making you will ever hear.

Karajan was an unsurpassed Straussian; luckily for us, he made many recordings of Strauss's music. This 1974 Also sprach Zarathustra is (I think) his 2nd of three - one from 1959 on Decca Legends and another from the 1980's, on DG's Karajan Gold series. This one is a masterful reading of this large tone poem. Karajan understands everything about this complex work. He benefits from the Berlin Philharmonic's superb, rich, refined tone. The famous introduction is superbly played, with sharp, firm timpani strokes, the divided strings in the second section are gorgeous and the playing throughout is exemplary. Michel Schwalbé contributes an excellent, if occasionally raw-toned, violin solo in the waltz section.

The two other tone poems are equally good. Till Eulenspiegel is witty, lively, exciting and endearing, and Don Juan's thrilling main theme is given lift-off by the superb Berlin strings. Salome's dance is superb, too. The sound is good, though violins at the top of the range can sometimes develop a shrill edge. The playing time is extremely generous (over 79 minutes) and the price tag is moderate. A real bargain.

After having consulted The Penguin Guide to Classical Music, I settled for these particular recordings (Amazon helped, too, in making up my mind as to what to buy). There are a lot of other choices available to prospective buyers/listeners, but the above mentioned reference work was in favor of this version of especially Also Sprach Zarathustra.

So I went for Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic. Personally I haven't got anything against Karajan, who is in my opinion simultaneously overrated and underrated (and hated, too) by some people. Karajan's approach to certain works of music is not always to my taste, to be honest; but here Karajan's vision and the Berlin Philharmonic's playing are at work to produce great music.

Besides Zarathustra you also get Don Juan, Eulenspiegel, and Dance of the Seven Veils.

Note: Of The Backworldsmen (part of Zarathustra) is incredibly powerful.

The symphonic poem Also sprach Zarathustra by Strauss, is from 1896. It is widely known, especially the opening. This is a great performance with Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Also here is Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks, Don Juan, and Salome's Dance of the Seven Veils from from his 1905 opera Salome.

While the fill-ups---TILL EULENSPIEGEL'S MERRY PRANKS, DON JUAN, and the "Dance of the Seven Veils" from the opera SALOME---are well done (TILL, especially, leads up to an electrifying climax), this disc is worth hearing simply for this classic 1974 recording of ALSO SPRACH ZARATHUSTRA. This work, with its famous opening Introduction, might not be Strauss at his most substantial (its supposedly Nitzschean inspiration doesn't really mean anything in the long run), but it is still music of great beauty, and the Berlin Philharmonic under Herbert von Karajan masterfully bring out its lushness, with its creamy strings and powerful brass. Karajan also binds the disparate sections of this work together like few others with the kind of structural shrewdness that he was known for. ALSO SPRACH ZARATHUSTRA might not be great Strauss, but this ZARATHUSTRA is surely a great performance. Those who think that the awesome "Sunrise" introduction to the piece---made famous by film director Stanley Kubrick's use of it in 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY---is the only real highlight of this work will certainly rethink that assessment after hearing it, so powerfully played and authoritatively conducted it is here. Recommended.

A great CD of Strauss. For under $10? what a deal. This recording of Zarathustra is one the best that I have heard even after 30+ years. Well worth the money and it was sent promptly as well. Richard would be happy with this one.