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Product Description
CD Description
Herbert von Karajan (right, right, right and right) recorded the symphonies of Beethoven four times in his remarkable career -- once with the Philharmonia in the Fifties and three times with the Berlin Philharmonic (1961-2, 1975-7, 1982-5). In many ways, his 60s cycle stands out from the other three. It was the first recording of the Nine to be conceived, planned and sold as an integral set. The initial purchasers had to pay a subscription for the LPs which were sent to them symphony by symphony. Thirty-six years later, this cycle has become somewhat of a benchmark for these cornerstones of the symphonic repartoire.
About the Artist
Herbert von Karajan was an Austrian orchestra and opera conductor. To the wider world he was perhaps most famously associated with the the Berlin Philharmonic of which he was principal conductor for 35 years. Although he was not without criticism, he is generally considered to have been one of the greatest conductors of all time, and he was a dominant figure in European classical music from the 1960s until his death. Part of the reason for this was the large number of recordings he made and their prominence during his lifetime. By one estimate he was the top-selling classical music recording artist of all time, having sold an estimated 200 million records.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
108 of 113 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
After many years of both Beethoven and Karajan, I have come full circle and must now insist to the casual reader that this particular cycle is HvK's best Beethoven offering. These mono recordings, made in the excellent Kingsway Hall, are more personable and more successful in conveying Karajan's stated aim - a blend of Toscanini's precision and Furtwangler's fantasy. The Philharmonia were a brand new orchestra, not created for karajan as such, but it probably felt that way.
For me, the celebrated 1962 set with the BPO is Karajan with his Toscanini hat on: too fast, too brilliant, too soulless. The 1977 box restores the depth and heart to Karajan's Beethoven, but now the overall sound picture begins to bother me. The strings are too dominant and the timps too...well...tea-tray like. Don't get me wrong, it's a great cycle but the Philharmonia sessions are a joy from start to finish.
So what if it's mostly mono? This was the high noon of mono, Karajan had a great recording team and believe-you-me, people more interested in technology than music are already calling DDD stereo 'old' and starting to drool over Blu-Ray audio or whatever. No, remastered mono can be as satisfying as any incarnation of stereo, and at this price, why hesitate. These days, it's becoming harder and harder to find a set where all nine symphonies are done superbly. EMI's latest reissue is timely and really a must have, if only to compliment your latest fashionable conductor's Beethoven (be it Zinman, Abbado, Rattle, etc).
For me, the celebrated 1962 set with the BPO is Karajan with his Toscanini hat on: too fast, too brilliant, too soulless. The 1977 box restores the depth and heart to Karajan's Beethoven, but now the overall sound picture begins to bother me. The strings are too dominant and the timps too...well...tea-tray like. Don't get me wrong, it's a great cycle but the Philharmonia sessions are a joy from start to finish.
So what if it's mostly mono? This was the high noon of mono, Karajan had a great recording team and believe-you-me, people more interested in technology than music are already calling DDD stereo 'old' and starting to drool over Blu-Ray audio or whatever. No, remastered mono can be as satisfying as any incarnation of stereo, and at this price, why hesitate. These days, it's becoming harder and harder to find a set where all nine symphonies are done superbly. EMI's latest reissue is timely and really a must have, if only to compliment your latest fashionable conductor's Beethoven (be it Zinman, Abbado, Rattle, etc).
81 of 85 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I admire many of Karajan's recordings some of which are truly great but not, as a rule, his Beethoven. This is mainly because of his later stereo recordings, the last of which in the 1980s was frankly a mistake which did him no favours. This set is something different. There is still the freshness that was so admired in the 1940s and one feels a sense of greatness at times. I too return to these recordings if I wish to listen to his Beethoven, by far the most satisfying of the 4 cycles. But, if you are looking for truly great Beethoven and don't mind mono or ADD etc I would say go for a mixture of Erich Kleiber and son Carlos the mono Klemperer and Furtwangler, not forgetting Weingartner of course. I'm sorry to say the more modern accounts leave me a bit cold, too "fashion" conscious for me and not getting to the heart of the music. If you don't have a complete cycle and are looking for one, this is strongly recommended.
28 of 30 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Although the original recording is four decades old, this is still one of the landmrk interpretations of the nine symphonies. The re-working is excellent, and the performances, especially on the ninth symphony have rarely if ever been equalled
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Mod classics
The direction (or is it editing?) of this product has resulted in extreme variations in loudness. In addition the timing of the pieces leaves a lot to be desired, vaying wideley.
Published 1 month ago by arnold
Listen to the music!
...not the sound quality! The one-star reviewers are welcome to listen to the latest squeaky clean digital Beethoven on their super-duper expensive systems, but for those of us who... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mr.Woods
OK
I'm no great classical buff but knew some of beethoven's symphonies so took the plunge & bought a complete set. Read more
Published 1 month ago by rog
Kari
In spite of the remastering this recording set has not such a sound quality that I would have expected. The fourth symphony is not able to be listened at all. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Kari
Beethoven symphonies
Excellent quality and value for money. I am pleased with this purchase and I know it will give me years of listening pleasure.
Published 3 months ago by Lindafran
Disappointed
I fell for the oldest trick in book - namely, if a offer is too good to be true, it generally is! All 9 Beethoven symphonies for less than £10. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Strobe Setter
Excellent recording
My wife bought a tape of these recordings for me to listen to on a personal tape machine, after a heart attack, the recording was so restful and soothing just the right thing. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Mr. Stephen Barnes
Not much of a compliment to Karajan
This was -depending how you calculate it - either the second or the third complete Beethoven cycle under a single conductor released in the UK, and probably the first genuinely... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Peter Street
Terrific Set
I've been trying to get my girls (aged eight and ten) to listen to classical music. They showed no interest in the classics at all until I got this set. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Hana Jones
Not for Modern Listeners
I had no idea that a disc set from EMI could sound as poor as this. There is hiss, crackle and rumble throughout. The sound over all is tinny. Read more
Published 13 months ago by A Music Lover
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