Search - Maurice Ravel, Claude Debussy, Camille Saint-Saens :: Ravel, Debussy, Saint-Saëns: Orchestral Works

Karajan goes to France

dv_forever | Michigan, USA | 08/05/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Can't believe no one has reviewed this yet! The job falls to me then. Karajan is well known for his very diverse musical tastes. Once Karajan took the reigns of the Berlin Philharmonic after the passing of Wilhelm Furtwangler, he changed everything. From playing standards, to instruments, to musicians, to most importantly, repertoire. While Furtwangler was always satisfied conducting yet another performance of Don Giovanni or Fidelio, Karajan not only conducted those but brought in La Boheme, Pelleas and Melisande and Der Rosenkavalier. His interests went to places Furtwangler didn't venture. This 2CD set is an overview of Karajan's life long dedication to French orchestral music, a big part of the repertoire that Furtwangler barely touched.



Saint Saens' famous Organ Symphony has listeners typically focusing on that last over the top movement. Karajan, master architect that he is, has no interest in zipping through this work just to get to the fireworks of the finale. He shapes everything beautifully over the entire arch of the symphony. The slow movement is stunning in it's hushed atmosphere. Compare the famous Munch recording to this. Munch moves things along, no lingering. Karajan lets us be enveloped to a far greater degree. Karajan's big finale is magnificient and the organ really knocks this out of the park. One of the best recordings of this piece along with Munch. It is also availabe on the Karajan Gold label with that cryptkeeper Karajan picture on the front! Get this instead, since it's the exact same remastering and it's got Debussy and Ravel as couplings whereas the previous CD is just 38 minutes in duration.



James Levine recorded the Organ Symphony with the Berlin Philharmonic, also on DG. This was after Karajan passed away, I believe. As good as that Levine version is, I would put the Karajan version on top. It's truly spectacular in all the right places.



Onto Debussy and Ravel. Karajan's Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun is one of the most seductive versions out there. This La Mer from 1964 is still a standard to this day, matched by few. Stokowski, Haitink and Boulez would be candidates. Ravel's shorter pieces are all perfect. Bolero I've never cared about. Karajan treats it with dignity, perhaps too much dignity. I would have liked it more up tempo but the climax is thrilling. Then we get to Ravel's gorgeous 2nd Suite from Daphnis and Chloe. This is where Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic truly shine. They are unmatched. The string sound and the atmosphere they create is out of this world. If you want a complete version of this ballet, seek out Charles Dutoit on Decca. If you're up for just the thrill of this suite, Karajan is your man.



There is a lot of music here and you can find this CD double fairly cheap on the used market. A great summary of Karajan's foray into the French repertoire. Makes you mourn for the Berlin Philharmonic, they'll never see the likes of Karajan again. Abbado and especially Rattle have not fulfilled their promises of leading this most illustrious orchestra. The Karajan era will live forever on recordings! Happy centenary, Herbert!"