Commanding the podium with his slender figure, theatrical shock of hair and penetrating blue eyes, Herbert von Karajan projected the hieratic image of the conductor as officiant of some quasi-mystic rite. And anyone who ever saw him conduct live or on his many audiovisual recordings will agree that in his performances, music did indeed become a religion and Karajan its high-priest. Karajan (1908-1989) embodied classical music in the general consciousness as an epoch-making conductor, media star, opera producer, festival director and festival founder. But in spite of his Promethean and widely varied activities, he remained a superb conductor, with a grasp of the standard orchestral and operatic repertory from Mozart to Schoenberg that was unsurpassed among his peers.
Impressions of Herbert Von Karajan – A Documentary on the Maestro at 70.
Bruckner, Te Deum
Anton Bruckner (1824-1896) completed his Te Deum in 1883. It is perhaps his most “modern” work, with its ostinato technique, sharply delineated sound groups and primeval rhythmic power pointing ahead to the 20th century. In this 1978 production with the Vienna Philharmonic and chorus of the Wiener Singverein under Herbert von Karajan (1908-1989), the work unfolds its full majesty particularly thanks to the great soloists Anna Tomowa- Sintow, Agnes Baltsa, David Rendall and José van Dam. And, of course, to Herbert von Karajan, one of Bruckner’s most congenial interpreters. Karajan embodied classical music in the general consciousness as an epoch- making conductor, media star, opera producer, festival director and festival founder. But in spite of his Promethean and widely varied activities, he remained a superb conductor, with a grasp of the standard orchestral and operatic repertory from Mozart to Schoenberg that was unsurpassed among his peers.
Liszt, Hungarian Rhapsody No.2
Dvorák, Symphony No.9 in E minor, op.95 “From the New World” (and Rehearsal)
In 1892 Antonin Dvorák accepted the invitation of a wealthy Mrs. Thurber to become the director of her National Conservatory of Music in New York. During the time he spent in America, he composed, among other works, the Symphony No. 9 (originally published as No. 5) “From the New World”. Dvorak was fascinated by Negro spirituals and the songs and dances of American Indians. In an interview, he claimed: “In the Negro melodies of America, I discovered all that is needed for a great and noble school of music.” Though the pentatonic and modal scales he used in the Ninth Symphony can also be found in folk music of many countries, including his native Bohemia, the melodies of the Ninth have become indelibly associated with America. Particularly “American” in flavor are the flute melody of the first movement, which recalls the spiritual “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”, and the theme of the slow movement. The symphony was recorded during a concert given by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra under Karl Böhm at Vienna’s Musikvereinssaal in the late 1970s.
Impressions about Herbert von Karajan
Commanding the podium with his slender figure, theatrical shock of hair and penetrating blue eyes, Herbert von Karajan (1908-1989) projected the hieratic image of the conductor as officiant of some quasi-mystic rite. And anyone who ever saw him conduct live or on his many audiovisual recordings will agree that in his performances, music did indeed become a religion and Karajan its high-priest. Karajan embodied classical music in the general consciousness as an epoch-making conductor, media star, opera producer, festival director and festival founder. But in spite of his Promethean and widely varied activities, he remained a superb conductor, with a grasp of the standard orchestral and operatic repertory from Mozart to Schoenberg that was unsurpassed among his peers.
Bruckner, Symphony No.7 in E major
Sir Georg Solti (1912-1997), one of the greatest conductors of the 20th century, was a testament to the elegance and impeccable tastefulness of Central European music-making. Born in Budapest in 1912, he studied with Béla Bartók, Ernö von Dohnányi, Zoltán Kodály and Leo Weiner. In 1937, Toscanini chose him to be his assistant at the Salzburg Festival. After the war, Solti was appointed Music Director of the Bavarian State Opera. Further stations in his career were the Frankfurt Opera, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden and the London Philharmonic. Solti’s remarkable partnership with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra began in 1954, when he first led the orchestra at the Ravinia Festival. After returning to conduct the ensemble several times during the following years, he was named Music Director in 1969 and held this post for a phenomenal 22 years. He is credited with greatly extending and enhancing the orchestra’s worldwide reputation. “In Chicago he has whipped, cajoled, hammered, burnished and conjured an orchestral sound that manages to be two entirely opposite things at once. On the one hand, there is that seductive, mellow roar from the winds and brass; on the other, a meticulously controlled string tone whereby more than 60 players take on the crispness and clarity of a chamber ensemble.” (Newsweek, Oct. 19, 1987) Solti died in September 1997, just before his 85th birthday. Anton Bruckner began working on his Seventh Symphony in 1881 and completed it on 5 September 1883. The first performance was led by Arthur Nikish in Leipzig on 30 December 1884 and was a success that helped establish the composer as a major composer. The work has since become Bruckner’s most popular symphony. This recording features the Chicago Symphony under Sir Georg Solti.
Brahms, Ein deutsches Requiem, op.45 (live)
The performance of Brahms’ German Requiem with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Vienna’s “Singverein der Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde” and the soloists Gundula Janowitz and José van Dam conducted by Herbert von Karajan was recorded live at the Salzburg Easter Festival in March 1978. Maestro Karajan focused on the gentle, comforting aspect of the work, presenting it as a Requiem for the living.
Beethoven, Missa solemnis in D major, op.123
This work is part of the complete cycle of Beethoven symphonic and choral works featuring the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and the Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam conducted by Leonard Bernstein. In this recording with the Dutch orchestra, Bernstein also conducts the soloists Edda Moser, Hanna Schwarz, René Kollo and Kurt Moll, along with the Chorus of Radio Hilversum.