Search - Johann II [Junior] Strauss, Johann II and Josef Strauss, Herbert von Karajan :: Johann Strauss, Josef Strauss: Waltzes & Polkas

Strauss is rescued from the ashes of post-war Vienna

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 07/28/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Many unsuspecting buyers won't notice the tiny print on the back of this CD announcing that it's in mono, and only when you get to the program book is it revealed that these recordings date from 1946-49. In fact, the famed British record producer Walter Legge had just discovered Karajan living with four other people in a cramped apartment in 1946. Within months they entered the studio to make the Blue Danube Waltz heard here. It's a little scarppy and undernourished, but who can wonder? The musicians walked thorugh rubble to get to the hall.



The identical program was available on EMI's "Karajan Edition" series; this probably isn't a new remastering. One needs a little patience to get used to the mono sound, but I find it quite listenable. The orchestra plays with its legendary style in Johann Strauss, but don't expect the finest execution. The second number, Wiener Blut, which dates from 1949, has much better sound, and the orchestra's mood has lightened consderably. If you're interested in the link between music and history, this CD is a must-listen, but even if you aren't, Karajan leads one of the most beautiful and assured of historical Strauss recordings."