Customer Reviews

Tchaikovsky: Symphonies no 4, 5, & 6 / Karajan, Berlin PO

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Generally DG's sound from this time period tended to be harsh and "in your face". Add to this the fact that Karajan himself liked to mess around with the with the final productions of his recordings, many times making them unlistenable (See his recording of Mahler's 5th in the early 70s). There is no evidance of this being done here, but the "DG sound" is very obvious, as is the Berlin Philharmonie, where these recordings took place in 1976 and 1977. I personally find Karajan's interpretions of all three of these symphonies to be ideal. Tchaikovsky created music which is full of fire and intensity, but there are also moments where the listener is allowed to breath and relax. Here, Karajan and his amazing orchestra create both, at exactly the right times. Moments where another conductor might call his group to be overally sentamental or overly dry are done in a way where the real extremes are correctly highlighted. During buildups, like in the 6th symphony the full weight of the composer's vision is executed in an absolutly chilling fashion. The recorded sound, as noted before is not "audiophile" quality. In fact, it is fairly harsh and "in your face". This blends perfectly with all three of these symphonies, and works the very best in the devastating 6th. Great Tchaik.

Herbert von Karajan made fabulous recordings of the last 3 Tchaikovsky symphonies during every decade of his recording career. I believe (but I may be mistaken) there was a recording of the 6th in the series of post-war recordings made by EMI in Vienna. There were some made with the Philharmonia in the fifties also, sadly unavailable. Then, he made the first of 3 sets of all 3 symphonies for DG in the 1960s. He recording the same symphonies for DG in the late 1970s, which are the recordings reviewed here. Then, he recorded them in the 1980s with digital technology.
There was another cycle for EMI sprinkled somewhere in between the 3 DG cycles, but those have always seemed tremendously inferior to the 3 DG cycles, and I will not review them here.
Interpretively, the set reviewed here is certainly superior, as are all 3 DG cycles. The 4th and 6th have little variation in interpretation, dynamics, or tempi. The 5th is a different story all together. The 1960s 5th is more humane, less obtuse, more deeply felt, whereas the recording of the 5th in this set from the late 1970s seems more distant, almost cold-hearted in comparison. The digital recording lies somewhere in between the other two.
The biggest difference between the three sets, though, lies in the sound. And it is with the sound quality that a clear choice exists among the three sets. I rule out the digital set. Im not even sure it is available any longer. The digital set was marred by terrible digital graininess, scratchiness, and what I term "digital twang", which occurs especially with brass, ever so important a section for Tchaikovsky's symphonies.
So, the choice comes down to the set reviewed here and the recently reissued 1960s set (Tchaikovsky: Symphonies Nos. 4, 5, 6). And I firmly tip my hat toward the 1960s set. The set being reviewed here comes from the late 1970s, when DG had a habit of using as many microphones as humanly possible. I sometimes wonder if they placed a seperate microphone in front of every instrument in the orchestra. It certainly sounds that way sometimes, with very close highlighting of individual instruments or sections. Listen to the 1960s set, though, and you'll hear a difference in the sound that will bring the music to life. I'm reminded of tourists visting the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, only to find it shrouded in fog. It still looks magnificent to them, but because of their short visit, they never get to see it without the fog. Some, however, get to go back when the fog has lifted, and then they are truly in awe of the structure. An appropriate analogy I think, given that Karajan is always described as a great architect in his intertretations. And when you listen to the 1960s recordings after hearing the 1970s recordings, the shroud is truly lifted, and only then can you fully realize that you are in the presence of true greatness.
So, go get the 1960s set if you want to hear Karajan work his magic in these works. And the digital remastering of the 1960s set is superior to any of the others too. Cleaned of all eveidnce of tape hiss, restored to perfection. An excellent example of current digital restoration techniques.

Those 1960s recordings are also available in a Collector's Series box of 8 disks (Amazon asin # B00004SA8B) that also has some other Karajan Tchaikovsky gems, like the Rococo variations with Rostropovich, a decent Serenade for Strings, the Piano concerto with S. Richter, a very good Romeo and Juliet, the ballet suites, and more.

For the price of one CD, you get over 2 hours of music on two CD's which happen to feature von Karajan's best performances of these great symphonies. I'm going through a romantic phase right now in my classical listening, so I'm into Tchaikovsky. All three of these symphonies are just tremendous -- loud and boisterous one minute and then sublime the next. The Penguin guide to classical music said that these were simply THE best recordings that Karajan did of these symphonies and after listening a few times, I believe it. The sound quality is not muddy, but it would be nice to have this exact recording with more perfect sound. Still, this is a minor bone to pick on this outstanding collection that manages to find great recordings of these 3 symphonies and gather them into one conveniently priced package. A great deal and many hours of listening pleasure.

I myself have never been a huge fan of Karajan (I prefer recordings by Toscanini, Walter, Haitink, Szell, Reiner, and others like them) but these recordings of Tchaikovsky's symphonies with the Berlin Philharmonic are breathtaking.

Though there are tempo modifications made by Karajan to the score, they are certainly sensible make this performance all the more moving. The climax near the end of the first movement of the Symphony No. 6 gave me such chills and nearly brought me to tears. Never had I heard such a passionate moment, from ANY other recording.

The Fourth Symphony is a spectacular performance, exhibiting the virtuosity of the orchestra. The Fifth Symphony is an absolute triumph, while the performance of the Sixth explores the entire range of human emotions.

I would admit that this a very UN-Karajan performance...the timpani is never too loud, the strings are always very lush, the winds impeccable, and Karajan's conducting is very tasteful in realtion to the Tchaikovsky's score.

Highly reccommended to Karajan and, particular, non-Karajan fans alike.

Being a big Tchaikovsky fan, I'm picky when it comes to recordings of his works. This CD is, by far, one of my favorites out of my entire collection. I've listened to all three symphonies on this album many, many, many times, and this recording, as well as the pieces themselves, never gets old. I've heard other Karajan that didn't impress me as much, but I have yet to find better interpreted, better played Tchaikovsky 4th, 5th and 6ths... ESPECIALLY the 4th. The coda of the last movement is the most exciting ending to any piece I have ever heard, it gives me goosebumps every time I listen to it, which is quite often. As far as I'm concerned, this is THE defining recording of the Fourth, in addition to the CD as a whole being a great deal. Do NOT pass up on this recording if you're any kind of Tchaikovsky fan.

Simply amazing. During the same time Karajan was desecrating the Mozart symphonies on DG in the mid 70s, he was recording these beautiful Tchaikovsky performances. I always thought Karajan to be overrated in the bread and butter Beethoven/Brahms symphonies, which he beat into the ground until they were dead and buried, and seemed much more at home in orchestral showpieces by Ricard Strauss, Debussy, or Mussorgsky. But could he find a symphonic medium that fully realized his and the Berlin Philharmonic's talents? These recordings answer that question: the playing is passionate and red-blooded, and Karajan actually seems to be fully involved in the music, as opposed to riding on auto-pilot. There are other wonderful performances scattered around, but here you get all three late symphonies, gloriously played and recorded for the price of a single premium cd. Such a deal.

It's fair to say that all orchestras are not created (or built) equally and these discs of phenomenal playing with the Berlin Philharmonic under the baton of Herbert von Karajan are simply some of the best classical recordings ever made.

Analog sound was at its peak when these records were made in 1976 and 77 and DG has done an excellent job of remastering them for CD. But beyond that Karajan simply "gets" the composer--as another reviewer pointed out--and conducts with an intensity and passion he seldom showed in his other recordings and performances.

I'm listening to these discs once more on a massive sound system with doubled speakers to handle the '70s Kenwood beast amplifier and love it more than ever. As a reviewer once said of a classic Szell/Cleveland performance of Beethoven's Third, this is a reading of "blinding virtuosity and strength."

As a budget two disc set it is also, incredibly enough, cheaper than those old DG import records we bought (and scratched up) one by one in the seventies.

As I've said before, when you listen to a disc like this you realize why you went nuts for this kind of music in the first place. Buy it, blast it, love it, get your Slavic ya yas out!!

I have always been thinking that Tchaikovsky exists between Hollywood movie composers and Broadway musical writers; after all he was a man who wrote Swan Lake, Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty.
To me his position was not on serious side of vast universe of classical music.

Not until I heard the Path?tique symphony recorded by Karajan today.

My younger brother and I were sitting with my parents in our living room watching Toshiba black & white TV set when Herbert von Karajan first visited Japan to conduct NHK Symphony Orchestra in 1950s.
They were playing Beethoven 5th, but I was too small, five or six years old then to appreciate the music.
However, I clearly remember the profound silence followed the last coda of symphony.
I suspect my mother was crying. That was how we found the German conductor.

In college, I listened to Furtwangler.
I thought Karajan was lightweight in comparison with his great predecessor.
Especially for Beethoven, his interpretations were too modern and international, sans German spirituality.

But this performance of Path?tique has changed my perception of Karajan entirely.
The energy and passion is incredible, it equals to that of Eroica symphony recorded by Furtwangler in 1944.

Simply amazing!

I admit that despite the precariousness of the conditions - the coughing, talking, moving around, distractions, uneven playing - I prefer a live performance. There is something absolutely electric about hearing one of the grand Romantic Symphonies in person. Alas, a CD may be the next best thing.

One usually associates Karajan with German composers - Brahms, Beethoven, Schumann, Strauss - but his innate musicality allowed him to excel in almost any category. While the Brahms is titanic and the Strauss is so very personal this is music for the ages - the apotheosis of Tchaikovsky's artistry. Both the composer and the conductor were great fans of that most outstanding of Romantic features - the singable melody. Despite the notorious onslaught of modernism, post-modernism, primitivism and other such "movements", Karajan remained wedded to the idea that music should make a statement without the need for explanation of what the composer "is trying to do."

There is certainly no question in this case - he was pouring his heart out into lush, quirky, grand works that have since become immortal to people both familiar and unfamiliar with classical music. THe Fourth is great, the fifth is larger than life, the sixth is incredible. Great CD at a Great Price.

I checked this CD out of the library a few months back, and was completely blown away. I wasn't expecting anything anywhere near what this album offers. Tchaikovky's sensuous, yet neurotic masterpieces are tragic, tender, brooding, frightening, passionate, and disturbing all at once. An emotional roller coaster awaits the listener; from the menacing brass fanfare that opens the Fourth Symphony, to the last, pathetic sigh that closes the "Pathétique," you will find yourself swept away by the majesty and the tragedy of some of the most romantic music ever written. The musicians of the Berlin Philharmonic, certainly one of the greatest orchestras in the world, outdo even themselves here, under the direction of consummate master conductor Herbert von Karajan. Every note is charged with emotion. I was stunned by the dynamic range of the recording; the softest pianissimo possible is often immediately followed by a sudden shift to fortissimo, and if you're not familiar with the music you are sure to jump out of your seat. Needless to say, I went to obtain my own copy of the album immediately, and was very pleasantly surprised to find this two-disc set priced at only $13.99! Considering the superior quality of the music, you won't find better value than that.