Search - Jean Sibelius, Herbert von Karajan, Philharmonia Orchestra of London :: Sibelius: Symphonies 4 & 7; Finlandia

Karajan's early 50s Sibelius

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 09/12/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The aging Sibelius declared that Karajan's recording of the Sym. 4 the best he had ever heard. ONe certainly hears why -- even through the dated mono sound this is a musically strong reading; its great virtue is that Karajan manages to find a consistent tone and sets down a structure the listener can follow. The Fourth is an enigmatic work, and unless the conductor can find a way to tell a story, the dark chords, ambiguous harmony, and murky message of the Fourth are tough to unravel. by comparison the reading of the Seventh from this period lacks the grandeur and power of Karajan's two remakes with the Berlin Phil. at its most clarion. All told, its the Fourth that stands out, and here Karajan's remakes, good as they are, seem overblown and too sensually splendid for such an essentially introverted work."