Search - Giuseppe Verdi, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra :: Verdi: Overtures & Preludes

Early in his career, Karajan was an outstanding Verdi conductor, and his first recordings of Falstaff, Aida, and Otello, as well (later) as his Don Carlo, remain testaments to his Verdian credentials. As so often happens in the classical-music biz, however, the remakes were not nearly so convincing. Karajan quickly developed a preference for a smoothed-over, blended orchestral sonority that is really antithetical to Verdi's orchestral habits. This collection, however, was recorded before Karajan had eliminated all of the music's rough edges, and while there's lovely playing aplenty, he's also not afraid to make some noise when Verdi requires it. A fine collection, then, of the 19th century's most important Italian operatic/orchestral music. --David Hurwitz