Search - Herbert von Karajan - His Legacy for Home Video: The New Year's Concert 1987 on DVD

Gorgeous playing from the VPO

Dan Sherman | Alexandria, VA USA | 12/28/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you like music of the Strauss family, this is a superb concert with great sound from 1987. The concert lasts about 90 minutes, with very few interruptions between pieces. The camera is mostly on the orchestra and conductor (who looks like he is on his last legs) and the playing is incredibly beautiful. Kathleen Battle is on stage for the "Voices of Spring" waltz and has a perfect coloratura for the part. The sound on the DVD is great and the program notes are good too. This is a definite buy."

New Year's Party

jfnsantiago | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 10/01/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is one of the best DVDs from "Hebert von Karajan Legacy for Home Video" series. Apart from the beautifull music there are several (good) surprises as the orquestra plays the famous Strauss's partitures. This is probably the only video that shows Karajan laughing, smiling and interacting with the audience. The musicians and the public also seem to be very pleased with this party ."

Amazing, it's my Karajan's favorite

Juan Keledjian | MIAMI, FL USA | 03/17/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This concert is mythical. Never before I saw so much empathy between the conductor, the orchestra and the audience. The performance is magnificent, the sound impeccable. The video quality is just good, probably because it came from a live televised broadcast, not from film. What happens between Karajan and the audience when playing the final piece makes me shiver every time I see it (I won't tell, buy and see yourself). Karajan was suffering from a lot of pain by that time, and he has difficulties to walk, but when the music begins it's like the pain disappears, and he performs with such energy and joviality that you can see the orchestra really enjoying the magical moment. There are so many favorite parts that I`ll just mention a few of them: the phrasing pauses in Fledermaus overture (Karajan never did that before, nor any other conductor I know), the energy of Thunder and Lightning, the horses (you'll see, it's not just music), Voices of Spring with Kathleen Battle (her voice is so pure), and the Radetzky March (the last piece) with the participation of the audience (it became a custom after this performance). Even if you don't like classical music you'll enjoy this DVD, and you'll probably want to be a music conductor. As a gift to yourself and others, you can't be wrong with this video."

The Best of the Best

Fernando J. Orozco | El Monte, CA USA | 11/28/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This concert is one that I would have liked to attend. A living leyend in the most celebrated concert of the year. This concert is just great, there is no doubt that even though Herbert Von Karajan was pretty old when he directed the concert, he did not lose his special spell while directing. The DVD has extra information about the composer and all the masterpieces played in this concert. About the repertory, what can I say? It seems that they chose the best of the best music by Strauss so that it could be played all at the same concert with such a leyend directing. Also, another highlight is that Kathleen Battle sings the waltz "Voices of Spring" ("Frühlingsstimen"). Her lovely voice illuminates the whole event even more. The only bad thing of it -to me personally- is that in my favorite waltz "The Emperor Waltz" ("Kaiser-Waltzer") the orchestra is not shown playing, instead they show a beautiful performance of dancers while the music plays -which is beautiful- All in all, the whole performance is fabulous and you will be surprised of many things that you will see when you buy this DVD, because I'm sure that you will buy it!!!!!."