Search - Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra :: Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra, Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta

Powerful Bartok from Karajan

Alan | New York, NY | 07/31/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Karajan recorded the Bartok Concerto for Orchestra three times and the Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta twice. I haven't heard the other recordings he made of these two famous pieces, but from what I've read, the two performances on this disc are the best ones he did. And listening to this disc, it's hard to imagine that he could have done them better anywhere else,



Because Karajan made so many recordings of 19th-century music, people sometimes forget that many of his best recordings were of 20th-century music. And these highly disciplined, surprisingly taut, tension-filled, powerful Bartok recordings should be included among those great Karajan recordings. The Berlin Philharmonic is second to no other orchestra in playing this music with stunning virtuosity. Bartok and Karajan may not sound like a match made in musical heaven but unless you prize grittiness above all in Bartok, you might be surprised at how well that match works. Karajan and Berlin capture the shifting moods in both pieces beautifully. In particular, the Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta is a performance of amazing intensity.



There are many excellent performances available of both pieces. Reiner's performances are deservedly famous, and I also have a great fondness for Bernstein's very subjective, personalized performances. Kubelik's Boston Symphony Concerto for Orchestra is also excellent but seems to be unavailable right now. And many others are highly praised and I'm sure are quite fine (though I have to say that I find Boulez's Chicago Symphony Concerto for Orchestra on DG surprisingly flavorless and dull).



These recordings are not generally available in the U.S. right now, so it's perhaps not surprising I'm the first to review this CD here. (And it's good that amazon does carry it.) Anyone considering this CD can be assured that it represents a top choice for these two pieces. As an import, it does run a good deal more than Reiner or Bernstein. But it's well worth it, either as a first choice or if you're looking for a supplement to one or more other recordings you already own of these pieces.



Btw, this performance of the Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta is the same one that can be heard on a mid-priced DG disc coupled with Stravinsky's Apollo. The Apollo perhaps does not represent Karajan at his best, so this CD, while more expensive than the Stravinsky-Bartok pairing, is preferable.

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