Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
This 1963 set was conceived as an integral recording, and released as such, rather than piecemeal. It is consistent in terms of sound and interpretation, and the solid performances hold up to repeated hearing. Karajan may not have been as highly individualistic an interpreter as some in the generation that preceded him, but he possessed the same kind of authority--as these readings show. They emphasize tautness of line, grip, momentum, and mechanical precision, and convey exceptional energy without the roughhewn qualities some interpetations emphasize. The highlight of the set is a suave, darkly handsome account of the Eroica,. The only disappointment is a senselessly rushed Pastorale. The Berlin Philharmonic, which had chosen Karajan as its conductor for life just six years before the sessions began, plays with extraordinary discipline, power in reserve, and an understated but convincing sense of expression. One notes already the superb string ensemble and excellent work in the winds that would come to be seen as the orchestra's stock--in-trade, even if the horns are still rather weak and the trumpets thin. Here is the well-dressed, darkly handsome Beethoven of the portraits painted circa 1800, in performances that are dashing and determined but never in danger of careening out of control. The sound is good for the vintage: balanced, reasonably detailed though not close, and clear. DG's latest remastering has brought out as never before the original recordings' warmth and atmosphere. --Ted Libbey
