I enjoy listening to Austrian conductor Herbert von Karajan (1908-1989) back to back like this, especially comparing his two most prized Beethoven cycles: 1963 and 1977.
Although a reader’s poll on the Talk Classical site, indicates most of those who responded preferred Karajan’s 1963 cycle by a margin of more than two to one, I haven’t found much to complain about with his 1977 cycle. To me, despite their sonic or tempi differences, they are much the same in their quality. Both are remarkably listenable.
Of much greater concern to me than which cycle is the best is what I call the Cult of Karajan – an ideological group to which I’ve rested joining.
So I approach every Karajan recording with a healthy dose of skepticism. An open mind, at the very least. Today’s is no exception.
The orchestra for this performance is the Berliner Philharomiker. The record label is Deutsche Grammophon.
Let’s get right down to it – starting with an except from the liner notes written by Richard Osborne:
For just as Furtwangler’s very different readings were creative improvisations around long-pondered and musically sensitive acts of structural analysis, so Karajan’s were symphonic dramas, dynamic tone poems built on as solid a set of musical foundations as the Austro-German interpretive traditions could muster.
To achieve the precision he required, as well as clarity and subtlety of nuance, Karajan had been prepared to live without the great weight of tone that had been the hallmark of Berlin Philharmonic Beethoven in Furtwangler’s day. But by the mid-1970s things had changed. Karajan always argued that Beethoven symphonies are unusually difficult to record because there is often no real base to the sound, no solid sonic foundations on which to build, as there is with symphonies of Brahms or Bruckner.
I don’t know who Richard Osborne is. But I enjoy his essays wherever I encounter them.
Beethoven wrote his symphonies in four parts (except for the Sixth, which is in five). The time breakdown of this particular one (Symphony No. 2 in D Major), from this particular conductor (Karajan, at age 67-69) and this particular orchestra (Berliner Philharmoniker), at this particular time in history (1975-1977) on this particular record label (Deutsche Grammophon) is as follows:
I. Adagio molto – Allegro con brio………………………………………………………………10:17
II. Larghetto……………………………………………………………………………………………………9:57
III. Scherezo. Allegro – Trio……………………………………………………………………………3:41
IV. Allegro molto…………………………………………………………………………………………….6:11
Total running time: 30:06
My Rating:
Recording quality: 5 (the DG label doesn’t release crap, except for some noticeable tape hiss, and not as much dynamic punch in the opening of Movement I as I like to hear, this is first-rate)
Overall musicianship: 5
CD liner notes: 4 (slimmer booklet compared to the 1963 cycle, but no less interesting…a missing, but necessary, piece of information: when, exactly, was this recorded? Which day? Which year? Providing a range of 1975-1977 isn’t sufficient for inquiring minds like mine)
How does this make me feel: 5
I didn’t think it was possible, but today’s performance of Beethoven’s Second is even brisker than yesterday’s by nearly one minute.
Overall, the sound of this performance is remarkably deep, resonant, and punchy. The instruments are crystal clear – especially in the dynamic range of the first movement, which quickly segues from loud to quiet in milliseconds. It’s the first first movement that I determine if I’m going to like a particular recording or not. I knew after the first minute that this is one I’d like.
And I was right.
My favorite movements are the speedy ones – most of the first, all of the third, and most of the fourth. The dynamics are inspiring. I find myself with toes taping and head bobbing when I listen to the fourth movement of Beethoven’s Second – when it’s done properly, of course.
And this is done properly.
I have to rate this an unequivocal “Huzzah!”