Search - Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky, Herbert von Karajan :: Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherezade; Tchaikovsky / Karajan

A Wonderful Scheherazade

Trevor Gillespie | San Jose, California United States | 06/21/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The only reason that I don't give this recording a full 5 stars is the sound. Although, the Original Bit Image Processing that DG has used to restore this performance is quite successful, the recording still fails to have a full sound in the lower sounds like the rolling of the tympani and the pounding of the bass drums. Also, somewhat problematic is the cymbal crashing. They don't ring as fully as on more modern recordings. Having said that, the spirit of the piece is incredible. I must say the violin solos by the concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic are among the best I've heard. Such challenging notes are hard to bring off beautifully and in this recording they shine brightly and bring a whole new meaning to the Symphonic Suite. In fact, I understood more fully who Scheherazade was when I heard the violin solos. The conducting on this piece is superb. Jessy Norman once said that Herbert von Karajan creates a magic carpet for a singer. It is true whether there is a singer on that carpet or just a listener. His ability to take you to another place through his conducting is truly amazing. Knowing that von Karajan made numerous recordings of various pieces, I am suprised he never made a digital recording of this piece. Perhaps, it is because he felt there was nothing more to say."

Wonderful Sheherezade, Terrible 1812

09/25/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Sheherezade is awesome...and as the Penguin guide and the first reviewer point out, the violin solos are gorgeous. Karajan conducts with passion and the orchestral color is brilliant. The 1812 Overture though sounds rushed and overpolished. I enjoyed hearing the choral introduction used in this 1812, but it just lacks spirit. The cannon sounds don't quite sound like cannons either. I'm not sure what he used. Buy this CD for the Sheherezade..."

WELL-BALANCED RECORDING

Trevor Gillespie | 01/16/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The distinction this recording of Sheherzade is its sonic balance between soft and loud passages. This is especially evident in the third section. Other recordings tend to soften the volume here, with the result of making the movement practically inaudible at lower volume settings; this recording's third movement has no such defect. The DG engineers were not "afraid to turn up the volume." The strings are glowing and the double basses truly resonante in the third movement. The recording, strangely, does have thinner low-end resonance in the other three movements. Nevertheless, this is more than compensated by the even-handed treatment the DG engineers gave the overall recording. The orchestra's playing is the typically excellent quality one would expect from the Berlin PO and Herbert von Karjan.The Capriccio Italiane is among the most enjoyable and powerful interpretations I have heard. The playing is energetic and the sound is full-blooded, though slightly thin on the low-end. Karajan's account of the 1812 Overture is an added bonus to the disc, bringing the total time to nearly 80 minutes. I would recommend this historic 1967 recording as an addition to one's collection of Sheherazade recordings. It is a reference to an earlier age, in which more primitive sound quality simply gives way to the musical gifts of one of the world's great orchestra-conductor pairings."