Notes and Editorial Reviews
Herbert von Karajan's 1962 Beethoven Ninth--the best of his three stereo efforts. Karajan's focused drive continues to impress even today--the first movement launches with a clear trajectory that carries through to the powerful final bars, and picks up again with a brisk and biting scherzo. The finale's opening is better balanced here than on the conductor's later efforts, which give too much prominence to the woodwinds. Karajan's traditional approach makes for a ponderous middle section ("Seid umschlungen"), but this was pretty much how it was done in those days. What was more uncommon was the Berlin Philharmonic's polished, virtuoso playing, as well as Karajan's smooth, streamlined phrasing, qualities that make his rendition a
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bit less gripping than the somewhat grittier renditions by Szell, Bernstein, or Wand. DG's spacious recording, made in Berlin's Jesus Christus Kirche, captures the full range of the orchestra with admirable fidelity--especially the low end, with the double basses resounding with greater immediacy in the new format. An eminently collectable performance, and not just for Karajan fans.
– Victor Carr Jr., ClassicsToday.com, reviewing the
SACD reissue of this recording
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Works on This Recording
1.
Symphony no 9 in D minor, Op. 125 "Choral" by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performer:
Walter Berry (Bass Baritone),
Gundula Janowitz (Soprano),
Hilde Rössl-Majdan (Mezzo Soprano),
Waldemar Kmentt (Tenor)
Conductor:
Herbert von Karajan
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra,
Vienna Singverein
Period: Classical
Written: 1822-1824; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: 1962
Venue: Jesus Christus Kirche, Berlin
Length: 66 Minutes 47 Secs.
Language: German
2.
Coriolan Overture in C minor, Op. 62 by Ludwig van Beethoven
Conductor:
Herbert von Karajan
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1807; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: 09/1965
Venue: Jesus Christus Kirche, Berlin
Length: 9 Minutes 0 Secs.
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