Karajan/BPO: Sibelius Symphony No. 6, En Saga, etc. - EMI 27 0407 1 (DDD), NM

$

45

redgarnett Store ITEM DESCRIPTION:

This superb LP – a beautiful collector’s copy – from EMI (27 0407 1, German Electrola pressing / DMM · Direct Metal Mastering, large dog semi-circle label, DDD stereo) features conductor Herbert von Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker’s powerful and poetic accounts of Sibelius’ Symphony No. 6 in D minor Op. 104 and three other symphonic works.

Filling out the disc are equally arresting performances of Valse Triste Op. 44, the “Karelia” Suite Op. 11, and En Saga Op. 9.

Of the late Karajan/BPO Sibelius legacy on EMI (the recordings of the 1970s and 1980s), the outstanding author and critic David Hurwitz wrote for ClassicsToday:

“Make no mistake, Karajan was a very great Sibelius conductor. He left four recordings of the Fifth Symphony, and two of the Second, a work that he didn’t particularly care for (and it shows–more on that shortly). When these late Karajan/early digital versions of the symphonies were released, they gave critics a shock. Gone, seemingly, was that ultra smooth, creamy Berlin sound so evident from the last round of Sibelius–and much else–on Deutsche Grammophon. The playing here is raw and edgy, if no less virtuosic. This being Berlin, the strings are still gorgeous, but now the brass blare, the timpani pound, and the woodwinds pierce through the texture plaintively. Climaxes are hair-raising. Check out the opening of Finlandia. There is a world of difference between a good performance of this chestnut and a great one, and this is the best of the best. Indeed, the tone poems are all fabulous, including an En Saga full of primal excitement, and a Tapiola whose final storm will crush your soul. Even that famous wrong note in the cellos matters not a whit.

“In the Sixth, the swiftest of Karajan’s three readings of the work, he is one of the few conductors who has the courage (Bernstein was another) to play the finale’s concluding Allegro assai at tempo. Why so many conductors, including Berglund of all people, can’t take the composer at his word makes no sense at all. The result here is magical–the music soars as it must. The Fourth and Fifth, like the Sixth, were Karajan specialties, and if you already own Karajan’s earlier DG or EMI recordings, the approach has remained remarkably consistent, and totally convincing save, once again, for that extra, idiomatic roughness in sonority characteristic of these performances.”

All four compositions were sumptuously recorded in the Philharmonie, Berlin, during November 1980 (Op. 104 and Op. 44), February 1981 (Op. 11), and December 1976 (Op. 9).

These remarkable recordings were produced by Michel Glotz and engineered by Wolfgang Gülich. The striking cover art was executed by Mark Mutchnik and there are insightful liner notes on the reverse side of the jacket by Robert Layton, provided in German, English, and French.

CONDITION:

The gradations of condition I use are as follows: MINT, Near-Mint, Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor.

The condition of the jacket is near-MINT. Really, there are no flaws to speak of and the album appears virtually as new – overall, an outstanding collector's copy.

The condition of the LP is near-MINT and playback is superb – overall, a truly fine collector's copy.

PLEASE NOTE:
This LP has been carefully cleaned using a VPI cleaning machine. All LPs are provided with a new Nagaoka (or Nagaoka-style) inner sleeve. The images I've provided are of the actual item you are potentially bidding on - these are not stock images or images I've taken from other sites. Bid with confidence!

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