RECORDING OF THE MONTH
Antonín DVORÁK (1841-1904)
Karajan Spectacular - vol. 2
Symphony No.9 From the New World Op.95 (1893) [41:53]
5 Slavonic Dances from Op. 46 (1878) and Op. 72 (1886-1887):
C major op.46 no.1 [3:32]; E minor op.76 no.2 [4:59]; C major op.46 no.3 [4:44];
E minor op.76 no.8 [6:33]; C major op.46 no.7 [3:15]
Berliner Philharmoniker/Herbert von Karajan
rec. studio, 1958 (symphony), 1959 (dances). ADD, stereo.
IDIS 6621 [65:06] 
This is a beautiful example of Karajan in what many would call his best period.
At this stage the sound of the Berlin Philharmonic was rich and smooth but
still had more bite. This was before it had been “caramelised and Karajanised”,
as some would have it. That’s obviously a gross generalisation. After all,
some of Karajan’s recordings made in the digital era are numbered amongst
his best. My characterisation will however do to convey the beautiful balance
we hear in these recordings – somewhere between luscious tone and snappy articulation.
In fact these stereo performances from Dynamic re-mastered on the IDIS label
are a real discovery. This CD is both a valuable addition to the Karajan discography
and a real contender as a recommendable recording in an already crowded field.
We are not told which studio was used but the result is a classic of early
stereo. It is warm and detailed, permitting the burnished strings and rasping
brass to carry equal weight.
For purposes of comparison, I dipped randomly into a few modern recordings
of Dvorák 9. The only one to rival this for presence and attack
was one which is part of a complete set of the symphonies from Otmar Suitner
in 1980s analogue with the Berlin Staatskapelle (review).
It has long been a favourite. Much more disappointing, both in terms of sound
was a 1981 digital version from Vaclav Neumann on Supraphon with the Czech
Philharmonic: dull, slack and anaemic alongside both Karajan and Suitner.
Your ears are pinned back from the first notes of the opening Adagio:
there is a brooding presence to the lower strings, then aureate horns and
mellow flutes caress the theme. By and large, Karajan is more concerned than
Suitner to linger and delineate shape yet there is no lack of tension in the
first movement. In the famous Largo, the cor anglais is a dream, then Karajan
brings great subtlety, poise and tenderness to the second subject. He is again
less urgent than Suitner in the Scherzo, achieving more lilt and giving more
finesse to the scurrying string figures. For the Finale, the grandeur of the
Berlin brass brings it own special Wagnerian thrill playing at Karajan’s slightly
more deliberate pace, while Suitner just goes for broke. Both approaches work.
As a bonus, we are given five of the most melodic and popular Slavonic
Dances played with extraordinary precision and brio. The Berlin strings
stay silky and in tune no matter how much attack they bring to these most
invigorating of suites.
This is a glorious disc.
Ralph Moore
This is a glorious disc.