Herbert Von Karajan - Beethoven - Violin Concerto DVD

Advantages: J. S. Bach; all musicians and vocalists; Karajan.
Disadvantages: Karajan's big, ponderous sound and historical inauthenticity, for some.

...has been addressed in an earlier review of her return to the Beethoven Violin Concerto.) I do, however, appreciate Ms Mutter's disciplined approach to public demeanour, since onstage histrionics by classical musicians are as pleasurable as nails scratching on a blackboard. Only at the end of the concerto does she let a brief smile soften her countenance, as she shakes hands with her mentor and with the concertmaster. Otherwise, the violinist just struts her stuff with little fuss. (Others may like a bit more warmth and pizzazz in their player, but that's an entirely individual preference unrelated to the music itself.) MAGNIFICAT IN D MAJOR, BWV 243. Written for Vespers on Christmas Day, the monumental 'Magnificat in D Major' with its Latin text receives an equally grandiloquent treatment by Herr von Karajan, the Berliner... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Superb production, fascinating footage, great music
Disadvantages: None whatsoever apart from wanting more

...others. Some of the conductors featured are Sir John Barbirolli, Sir Thomas Beecham, Leonard Bernstein, Herbert von Karajan, Richard Strauss, Leopold Stokowski and Bruno Walter to single out a few names. Right from the opening of the documentary you realise the high quality of the production values on this DVD as Beethoven's 5th Symphony segues seamlessly between different performances by very different conductors. Hearing the same piece conducted by Toscanini, von Karajan, Klemperer and Szell heightens the contrasts between the styles and interpretations of each of these highly individual maestri. One of the big plus-points of this DVD is that along with copious extracts from performances and rehearsals, one is given complete performances of several works including Beethoven's "Egmont Overture" conducted by Serge Koussevitzky... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Superb historical performances and fascinating insights
Disadvantages: Only that there are no bonus interviews this time

...As I had enjoyed the first volume in this series so much, (see my review here -http://dvd.ciao.co.uk/ArtOfConductingGreatConductorsOfThePastDVD 5912901) it was without hesitation that I bought this - the second volume of "The Art of Conducting". It is entitled "Legendary Conductors of a Golden Era" and concentrates on the work of 6 illustrious maestri from the past: Sergiu Celibidache; Wilhelm Furtwaengler; Erich Kleiber; Evgeny Mravinsky; Charles Munch and Willem Mengelberg. There are also rare archive film clips included of conductors Herbert von Karajan; Hermann Scherchen; Andre Cluytens and Vaclav Talich. Commentary on the work and personalities of the conductors featured is provided by record producer Peter Andry; violinists Yehudi Menuhin, Walter Barylli (from Vienna Philharmonic) and Alexander Barantschik... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful