Berliner Philharmoniker & Herbert von Karajan - Prokofiev / Stravinsky (1970/2017) [Official Digital Download 24/96]

Karajan does it again. The Prokofiev 5th is another of the great conductor's famous recordings. He labored for years, refining and perfecting his interpretation of this perennial favorite. It's one of the most played of 20th-century symphonies. Unlike many other works, Karajan recorded this symphony just once and he got everything right the first time. It's my experience with Karajan that when the man records only once, it's usually quite an accomplishment. Check out his lone recordings of Richard Strauss' Sinfonia Domestica and Alpine Symphony or Mahler's Fifth to know just how masterful Karajan can be when he zeroes in and makes a near perfect record of a piece of music. This Prokofiev 5th is in that elite class. The beautiful strings of the Berlin Philharmonic, the swirling woodwinds and the breathtaking cymbal crashes at the end of the first movement in particular are just some of the icing on the cake. Amazing performance, no doubt.

The Rite of Spring is a different animal altogether, Karajan is not the right conductor for this work. He moulds and caresses the musical lines in the high-romantic German fashion, not the angular, abrasive, pre-civilization Russia that Stravinsky wanted to convey. Stravinsky was very critical of Karajan's earlier Rite of Spring recording so Karajan obviously wanted to take up the challenge of this consummate 20th-century masterwork again. He does it better this time, it is a well played, sleek account which makes it unique and it is well recorded, just like the accompanying Prokofiev, but what works in Prokofiev's 5th does not work in The Rite of Spring.

Tracklist:
1. Symphony No.5 In B-Flat, Op.100 : 1. Andante
2. Symphony No.5 In B-Flat, Op.100 : 2. Allegro marcato
3. Symphony No.5 In B-Flat, Op.100 : 3. Adagio
4. Symphony No.5 In B-Flat, Op.100 : 4. Allegro giocoso
5. Le Sacre du Printemps / Pt 1: L'Adoration de la Terre : 1. Introduction
6. Le Sacre du Printemps / Pt 1: L'Adoration de la Terre : 2. Les augures printaniers - Danses des adolescentes
7. Le Sacre du Printemps / Pt 1: L'Adoration de la Terre : 3. Jeu du rapt
8. Le Sacre du Printemps / Pt 1: L'Adoration de la Terre : 4. Rondes printanières
9. Le Sacre du Printemps / Pt 1: L'Adoration de la Terre : 5. Jeux des cités
10. Le Sacre du Printemps / Pt 1: L'Adoration de la Terre : 6. Cortège du sage - Le sage
11. Le Sacre du Printemps / Pt 1: L'Adoration de la Terre : 7. L'Adoration de la Terre
12. Le Sacre du Printemps / Pt 1: L'Adoration de la Terre : 8. Danse de la terre
13. Le Sacre du Printemps / Pt 2: Le Sacrifice : 1. Introduction
14. Le Sacre du Printemps / Pt 2: Le Sacrifice : 2. Cercles mystérieux des adolescentes
15. Le Sacre du Printemps / Pt 2: Le Sacrifice : 3. Glorification de l'élue
16. Le Sacre du Printemps / Pt 2: Le Sacrifice : 4. Évocation des ancêtres
17. Le Sacre du Printemps / Pt 2: Le Sacrifice : 5. Action rituelle des ancêtres
18. Le Sacre du Printemps / Pt 2: Le Sacrifice : 6. Danse sacrale : l'élue

Personnel:
Berliner Philharmoniker
Herbert von Karajan, conductor

Digitally remastered