Search - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Anton Bruckner, Franz Joseph Haydn :: Great Conductors of the 20th Century: Karl Böhm

One of the finest of the series.

Jeffrey Lee | Asheville area, NC USA | 05/10/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Unlike many of the other sets in this admirable series, Bohm's has the usual advantage of being entirely stereo. But, regarding the selections, let's dispense first with the cookie and get to the meat and potatoes. The Cosi fan tutte Overture has no glitches. It is well characterized and presented. Elsewhere, Karl Bohm shows that he is well in touch with the mystery and majesty of the marvelous Bruckner Eighth. He directs a performance that simply and powerfully underscores those features of the Bruckner idiom that are among the most magnetic and endearing---namely, grandeur and haunting beauty. And, he is aided significantly in his effort by the acoustics of the recording venue, which seem to offer a perfect match for the composer's expansive sonorities. Somewhat of a downside to all this however is the occasionally less than stellar quality exhibited by the horn section, especially the main player--- not a serious problem, though it could be considered a bit of a distraction now and then. Nevertheless, the big orchestral climaxes are extremely satisfying, and so too are the deeper spiritual episodes. Very enjoyable Bruckner...The Haydn Symphony 91 is fine, but here I prefer things to be a little more lithe, and a tad lighter in tone during the quicker sections...The Schubert Ninth is nicely nuanced, sturdy and dynamic, clearly one of the best "Great C Majors" ever recorded. Noteworthy also are the impressive sounding horns of the Dresden Staatskapelle. In fact, I find this Dresden account preferable to Bohm's earlier one with the Berlin Philharmonic. All the more interesting because when it was made, Bohm was 85 years old. Listening especially to the final movement, you would never know this. A very satisfying set."

Mostly old-age Bohm, in good shape

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 11/22/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Karl Bohm was 87 when he died in 1981 as a staple of the DG catalog. It was said that his recordings died the day he did, but in fact they've survived. I must admit an antipathy to his musical personality, which was often brusque and hurried or else dead-pan and inexpressive. But Bohm certainly passed for a great conductor, and here the compilers have given us a generous sample of major works (for once), mostly taken from Bohm's autumn years.



CD 1 begins badly with a lackluster 1962 Cosi fan Tutte Over. that comes, surprisingly, from his acclaimed studio performance of the opera. The rest of the disc features a big work, the Bruckner Eighth in a live performance from Cologne (1974) in decent stereo. Bohm makes the orchestra sound good--he always possessed that talent--and the reading is straight-faced, sober, and reliable. One would have expected better from such a famous Bruckner specialist.



CD 2 is much improved, beginning with a genial Haydn Sym. 91 with the Vienna Phil. (1973). This studio recording comes off agreeably in every way, but especially in the sunny playing of the orchestra. Don't expect any revelations, however. The very best item is the concluding Schubert Ninth from Dresden, a live performance in very good stereo from 1979. For a conductor in his mid-eighties this performance is highly commendable. I especially liked the briskly taken second movement, which Bohm keeps going very well--so often it drags--but everything is nice here, well-balanced and carefree. It's not deeply felt Schubert, but then I've never heard depth from Karl Bohm. He was a highly superior Kapellmeister, and for that I appreciated this collection."