Search - Giuseppe Verdi, Herbert von Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra :: Verdi: Overtures and Preludes

A tremendous collection from a great Verdian

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 09/25/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a gem from the Karajan catalog. He was a very great Verdi conductor, his orchestra was the best in the world--there are no reservations aobut everything on this CD. It stands above similar compioations by Sinopoli and Abbado, although they are very, very good also. A side by side comparison with the Abbado, by the way, indicates how profoundly the Berlin sound changed after Karajan's departure. I found it easier to grasp why so many veterans were downcast; Abbado's sound sacrificed the maigsterial quality Karajan had cultivated for decades, in favor of a leaner texture that has its own virtues. But when you also add Karajan's subtle, detailed imaginaiton in these well-known Verdi snippets, the result is breathtaking."

Beautiful Music played beautifully

King Lemuel | Puyallup, WA | 01/02/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD has 13 of the 19 tracks from the 1976 double LP box set as well as the same cover art. The LP box title: "Overtures and Preludes, complete." I guess there was not enough room on a single CD for all 19 tracks and DG chose not to issue a double. So, if you want the complete overtures and preludes, there is NAXOS.



The LP version features one of the best near coffee table quality liner booklets I have seen with high quality glossy art photos, an overview of the overtures and preludes, and a separate page describing each opera.



After going to the opera, La Traviata, I went out and bought an overture LP by Toscanini. I love that LP, but the present set by Karajan and the BPO have it beat by a country mile, especially the high grade sound. Just about everything Karajan recorded in the 70s with the BPO is money in the bank and this CD is no exception!



If you have never been to the opera, give it a try or at least let Netflix help you! The DVDs do have subtitles."

Fine Verdi Orchestral Music Courtesy of Karajan and the BPO

John Kwok | New York, NY USA | 12/07/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Fans of Giuseppe Verdi's operatic orchestral music should rejoice in this fine two CD collection assembled from Karajan's 1970's recordings with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Karajan leads the Berliners in warm, vibrant performances of Verdi's famous and lesser known orchestral overtures and preludes. The sound quality is fine, thanks to Deutsche Grammophon's state of the art 24 bit digital remastering."