Search - Gustav Holst, Herbert von Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra :: Holst: The Planets

Why.

jimothy | Michigan, USA | 02/03/2008

(1 out of 5 stars)

"When an orchestra doesn't bother to tune itself before attempting to play, let alone record, there's something seriously wrong.

Karajan was kind of a stickler for technology- the second a new recording method came about, he would drop everything and re-record previously recorded works [which were often superior] natively into digital. This is one such work.



While Jupiter is one of the better interpretations I've heard[but still suffers from significant tuning issues], Mars is simply atrocious in just about every sense of the word.



Sonically, the violins screech throughout; on the whole, the disc has a distinctly metallic sound. While some may find this appealing, it makes the orchestra sound artificial. Throughout each movement, particularly Jupiter, there's just a lot of what I can only describe as "sonic-weirdness" that occurs. I don't know if parts of the audio spectrum randomly drop out or what, but entire sections of instruments get lost in the mix and sound muddled or they're just simply not there, and that's bad.



While one can certainly hear the potential, this "Karajan Gold" release isn't up to par."

Stunning

J. Taylor | Cambridgeshie, UK | 05/14/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There seems to be something of a general consensus among classical record fans that Karajan's latter-day digital recordings are a pale shadow of his earlier, analogue recorded greatness. Although this could be true as far as his Beethoven Symphonies cycle is concerned, he did make some very fine recordings towards the end of his life, and this 1981 recording of Holst's masterpiece is certainly one of them, with excellent early digital sound recorded in well-balanced stereo, and Karajan's mastering of the enormous forces of the Berlin Philharmonic managing to create some awe-inspiring beauty for Mercury and Venus, a terrifying and loud Mars, a stirring Jupiter, and an ethereal Neptune, with much to enjoy in between. Definitely one of Karajan's finest recordings and one of the best 'The Planets' out there, this is excellent for newcomers to the work and dedicated fans alike."