Search - Sergey Prokofiev, Igor Stravinsky, Herbert von Karajan :: Prokifiev: Symphony No. 5; Stravinsky: Le Sacre du Printemps

The Prokofiev Symphony Is Definitive, The Stravinsky Rite Of

dv_forever | Michigan, USA | 08/31/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Karajan does it again. The Prokofiev 5th is another of the great conductor's famous recordings. He labored for years, refining and perfecting his interpretation of this perennial favorite. It's one of the most played of 20th-century symphonies. Unlike many other works, Karajan recorded this symphony just once and he got everything right the first time. It's my experience with Karajan that when the man records only once, it's usually quite an accomplishment. Check out his lone recordings of Richard Strauss' Sinfonia Domestica and Alpine Symphony or Mahler's Fifth to know just how masterful Karajan can be when he zeroes in and makes a near perfect record of a piece of music. This Prokofiev 5th is in that elite class. The beautiful strings of the Berlin Philharmonic, the swirling woodwinds and the breathtaking cymbal crashes at the end of the first movement in particular are just some of the icing on the cake. Amazing performance, no doubt.



The Rite of Spring is a different animal altogether, Karajan is not the right conductor for this work. He moulds and caresses the musical lines in the high-romantic German fashion, not the angular, abrasive, pre-civilization Russia that Stravinsky wanted to convey. Stravinsky was very critical of Karajan's earlier Rite of Spring recording so Karajan obviously wanted to take up the challenge of this consummate 20th-century masterwork again. He does it better this time, it is a well played, sleek account which makes it unique and it is well recorded, just like the accompanying Prokofiev, but what works in Prokofiev's 5th does not work in The Rite of Spring.



I'm still on the look out for a near perfect recording of The Rite of Spring. I've heard Stravinsky's own version from the 60's, Haitink from the 70's and others but I think most downplay the barbarism inherent in the music. ( More barbaric versions include Riccardo Muti with the Philadelphia Orchestra on EMI, Zubin Mehta with the New York Philharmonic on Sony Essential Classics and most recently Valery Gergiev with the Kirov Orchestra on Philips. )



Be that as it may, buy this disc for the Prokofiev, Karajan's mastery of the piece is apparent throughout, the Berliners are outstanding! Deutsche Grammophon remasters both recordings wonderfully, very detailed and with plenty of bass. The earlier DG Galleria CD of the Prokofiev is not remastered and lacks bass, so even though this DG Originals CD is more expensive, it is surely worth every penny! Buy it today."

Five stars is for the Prokofiev--Le Sacre seems wrong all th

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 07/28/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I don't know why nobody at Amazon has reviewed this DG Originals issue of Karajan's famous Prokofiev Fifth from 1968. The remastering polishes up a recording that was already good on analog LP and early CD. The real question is one of value. DG's former issue of the Fifth comes with Karajan's Prokofiev Classical Sym. from 1981, an outstanding recording, while this Originals CD comes with his peculiar Le Sacre.



Stravinsky, in one of his witty and often malicious books of conversations with Robert Craft, went out of his way to deride Karajan's efforts. My curiosity aroused, I bought the recording anyway, and indeed it seems glib and out of touch with Stravinsky's idiom. As David Hurwitz points out, you get the feeling that the Berlin players are carefuly counting out every bar.



Personally, I've never quite gotten myself to buy this CD simply for the Prokofiev remastering when the older CD sounds just fine."