Richard F. Quinn | Brisbane, Australia | 07/17/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I have also possessed versions of the 1977 recording of the 9th most recently issued as a mid-priced DG Galleria release. The versions of the 5th and 6th included on this re-issue are definitely worth having but for me the 1977 recording of the 9th is the stand out. Even in its Galleria issue it presented us with arguably one of the most affecting and intense recordings Karajan and the BPO ever committed to disc. There were minor reservations though concerning the finale. These were largely technical concerns over the engineering and placement of microphones. Others have alluded to those concerns but for me they barely detracted from an otherwise remarkable recording. For his part Karajan, still at the height of his formidible powers in 1977, extracted the most pure and passionate reading from his orchestra and his singers. All through the recording one can sense the absolute commitment of everyone involved. What a revelation it is then to now hear this newly re-mastered version which all but totally cures those minor audio quibbles. The hairs on the back of my neck literally stand up when I hear the hushed intensity of the Adagio now with even more detail exposed in this remaster. In the hands of the BPO and Karajan it becomes the aural equivalent of a wounded animal ready to pounce. And that finale! The singers (especially Peter Schreier and Jose van Dam), so utterly sure of themselves and now so much better placed and balanced. Truly sublime. The intensity released with the remastering makes this finale every bit as driven as Karajan's earlier BPO recording which has also been deservedly praised. There are so many remarkable recordingsboth old and new being produced these days it is hard to keep up. But I am sure that if the record of human achievement were somehow lost but for this symphony and this recording it would be all the evidence needed of the soaring heights humanity could reach."
Classic Karajan 70s 9th in a spectacular transfer, and more!
R. Lane | Tracy, CA USA | 01/10/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Herbert von Karajan recorded all of the Beethoven symphonies no fewer than 4 times (once in the 1950s for EMI with the Philharmonia Orchestra, 3 times for DG in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s). For a complete cycle, I prefer the 1960s set (which is forthcoming later in 2004 on SACD). But of all of the Ninth's he made, this one takes the cake. It has been around on a Galleria CD since 1986. I've used it for demos many times. I never thought it could be improved upon so much!
I especially like the improved sound of the finale. It sounds like the engineers did some significant rebalancing. Instruments that previously dominated, sounding like a microphone was within a few inches of the instrument, are now more warmly balanced with the rest of the orchestra.
The solists in the finale are certainly no match for those in the 1960s recording, but they are more than adequate.
The 1960s recording almost had a sense of occasion about it, kind of like the great Furtwangler recording made at Bayreuth in the early 1950s. You don't get that here, but you do get a more solidified vision from Karajan.
Get it while you can, though.
Something tells me these won't be around for very long."
The Best From Karajan's 1970's Beethoven Symphonies
John Kwok | New York, NY USA | 12/01/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This two-CD set is part of an ongoing Deutsche Grammophon series of Karajan's best recordings with the Berlin Philharmonic. It's a pity that Deutsche Grammophon hasn't released the other Beethoven symphony recordings which Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic recorded in the mid to late 1970's. However, these in the current release are probably the best in the cycle, culminating in his finest recording of the Beethoven 9th symphony. I am also rather fond of his recording of the 6th symphony - without question one of the finest versions of this symphony ever recorded - and find his interpretation of the 5th symphony nearly as impressive as Carlos Kleiber's celebrated account with the Vienna Philharmonic that was recorded almost at the same time as Karajan's. All three performances benefit from the new 24 image bit digital remastering. Fans of Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic will not be disappointed with this two-CD set."
Some of Karajan's best Beethoven from the 1970s in this 2CD
dv_forever | Michigan, USA | 12/16/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Karajan is a very, very good Beethoven conductor, but is he great? He doesn't rise to sublime heights like Furtwangler but Karajan beats out most others like Bernstein, Szell, Klemperer, Abbado, Rattle, most Solti and so on. If you can say one word about Karajan's Beethoven, that word would be, " dependable ".
These recordings are from the 70's cycle, here remastered beautifully in 24-bit sound. All 3 works sound much better than their earlier incarnations on the DG Galleria label.
The 5th is very powerful, intense and most pleasing, as good a performance as Carlos Kleiber and Karajan's version has better sound. However this performance doesn't surpass Karajan's earlier 60's version which is even more menacing and deeply felt. The 60's version is available in terrific sound on SACD and in the Complete Beethoven Edition Volume 1. That really is Karajan's best 5th.
This Pastoral is Karajan's typical fast driven, dramatic interpretation. He was always critisized for fast tempos in this glorious music. He's fast here too but not breathless. The scherzo repeat is taken, thankfully. All in all, ok.
The 9th is the real winner here. This 1977 version is almost as famous as the 1962, the one from the 80's is not in the running.
Here in the '77 version, Karajan sticks to his old plan, powerful, fast, first movement, vivid, energetic second movement and a beautifully done adagio. A gorgeous sound that only the Berlin Philharmonic can produce is summoned here and von Karajan takes a more expansive tempo. The results are exquisite, not Furtwangler, but close. The finale is not always successful, strange recording techniques here and there, like the instrumental build up of the joy theme which drops in volume for some weird reason, then goes back to a higher volume. The old Galleria CD also had this. The chorus is backwardly balanced like on most other CD's of the Ninth, it's still good though, regardless. Better than any of Bernstein's versions. The most amazing part of this performance is the final coda, Karajan leads everyone, chorus and orchestra, in a huge volcanic eruption, with the timpanist thundering away! Whoah! ( quoting Keanu Reeves ) Certainly, it's one of the most thrilling ends to this famous work I've ever heard. Unbelievable power!
My overall preference is for Solti's magnificient 1972 Ninth with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, lots of power in the first 2 movements, a sublime adagio and it has one of the best choral finales of them all, the chorus much more powerful for Solti than Karajan. Solti's final coda is just about as intense as Karajan's volcano. Many people have written about that Solti version, check it out!
For a historical account, of course Furtwangler in Berlin 1942 is the one to go for. Truly apocalyptic. You can get that in a set on the Music and Arts label. Furtwangler is unmatched in this symphony.
So, even if these Karajan performances aren't the best, they destroy most of the competition, like I said, all of Bernstein, Szell, Abbado, not to mention those pesky period instrument conductors, Gardiner, Norrington, Harnoncournt, etc. Karajan beats Solti in everything Beethoven, except that majestic Solti Ninth from 1972.
The 2CD set is very economical. Three symphonies for about the same price as just the 5th and 6th from the Karajan digital cycle.
Whether you like Karajan or not, there's no denying these performances of the 5th and 9th symphonies are in elite company.
Karajan's 5th from the 60's is better than what you're buying here but the 9th symphony here is valuable to have alongside the earlier recording.
P.S. March 2007. Upon further examination I have found that Karajan's recordings from the 1960's of all these symphonies are clearly superior to this offering. The sound is better on the earlier recordings, more natural and vibrant, not as close up as we get here, plus the vigor and intensity of the younger Karajan is hard to resist. If you are going to buy the versions from the 1960's, I suggest you get the remastered Hybrid SACD box set of the whole cycle or the Original Image Bit-Processing box set release as part of the Complete Beethoven Edition. Check my reviews for further analysis of that cycle."
Is Karajan's middle Beethoven his best?
Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 07/20/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Although these recordings from 1976 and 1977 have their fans, Karajan's second Beethoven cycle for DG marked a troubling shift. Compared to his acclaimed 1963 cycle, the timings for all three symphonies here are extremely close, sometimes within seconds. Yet the vitality of the earlier performances has been compromised. Karajan no longer digs into the phrasing; we feel that we are kept on the music's surface. The change isn't drastic most of the time, but it's undeniable.
This is particularly true of the Fifth and Sixth Sym., which are gray copies of the earlier performances. Surpisingly, a lot of the dulling effect comes from the sonics. Even as remastered here (a decided improvement over earlier attempts), the sound is murky and muffled. Put on any of the new SACD transfers of the 1963 cycle, and you will scratch your head that the passage of over a decade caused DG to move backward in recorded sound. Strange. (The good news being that the 1963 set sounds splendid now.)
I imagine most listeners will be buying this budget two-fer for the Ninth, which Karajan made over a four-month period beginning in September, 1976, and ending in January, 1977. (I wonder if there's a story here.) Given how many critics cite this as Karajan's best Ninth, I was surprised at how markedly tamer it is than the 1963 reading. Again we are given the same tempos, but mystery has lessened in the opening bars, and the Adagio in particular flows along without soaring into transcendence.
This leaves us with only the finale, and there's no doubt that the 1963 chorus was not ideal. I decided to do a simple A-B comparison, since the Wiener Singverein participates in both performances. It came down to a choice between two minor evils. In the 1963 Ninth the chorous is distant and muzzy; it's impossible to detect a single word of the text. In 1977 the soloists and chorus are brought closer, so the muzziness is gone. There's a notably aggressive bark to many choral entries, however, and much stiffer expression than before.
The 1953 soloists (Janowiwtz, Rossl-Majdan, Waldemar Kmentt, Walter Berry) are superb, but here the race is basically a tie. The 1977 quartet (Tamova-Simtov, Schreier, Baltsa, Van Dam) sing very well in tune for such exposed miking. Schreier, for example, sounds louder than the whole orchestra in his solo, so we can be thankful that he gets through it so smoothly. Pacing is nearly identical with the 1963 finale, but as in the other movements, one feels that Karajan isns't fully committed.
Whatever magic made the 1963 Ninth feel so natural and yet so dramatic, joyous and tragic, has partially disappeared. This listener, at least, will no longer wonder whether Karajan's middle Beethoven was his best."
