Search - Herbert Von Karajan - His Legacy for Home Video: Ludwig Van Beethoven - Symphonies 2 and 3, "Eroica on DVD

Good Performances -- Monument to the Conductor

Dan Sherman | Alexandria, VA USA | 06/29/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"At this point, Sony has released all of its von Karajan performances of the Beethoven symphonies on five DVDs. They are all very good performances, created for film (rather than concert performance) in the early 80s. Von Karajan conducts the Berlin Philharmonic, his personal orchestra, and the performance is as much von Karajan as Beethoven. Musically, these are very fine performances, with von Karajan in absolute control of the orchestra which plays very precisely. These are the performance as he wanted to present them -- smooth, well thought-out, and note-perfect.There is probably no right way to put symphonic music onto film -- these productions (made by conductor's own film company) spend most of their time focused on the conductor with cut-away shots to both individual and groups of instrumentalists (also singers in the 9th), usually focusing on the instruments themselves rather than the players. It is fascinating to watch von Karajan -- his authority in the music and with this orchestra are clear thoughout each performance. He conducts without a baton and uses his whole body to conduct, though not in a distracting way (I am thinking of Leonard Bernstein here).The sound and picture on these DVDs are excellent; the sound is truly comparable to a well-recorded CD. The soundtrack is available both in stereo and also an excellent 5.1 Dolby mix. The disks have a set of program notes and a biography of von Karajan."

One of Karajan's best

Roger Townsend | Houston, TX USA | 02/16/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Despite what you may hear from down under, people who know Beethoven and particularly know the Eroica Symphony believe it may have been Karajan's masterpiece with regard to Beethoven. His earlier recordings were fine, but this is one piece that truly grew in stature with El Maestro as he aged. The slow movement is particularly compelling. Herbie may have been thinking of his own funeral, and he certainly regarded himself as a hero. Regardless of his ego or motivations, the performance is what counts, and Karajan and the Berliner really deliver the goods on this one. I believe any of you would find this a great performance, and a great video."

Enjoyable performances

Juan Keledjian | MIAMI, FL USA | 03/19/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There is something special with the last recordings of Karajan. The years made him less mathematical and now there is space for emotions. The two symphonies differ so much in character, one is classical, the other is romantic. Both are performed as never before, with energy and matury at the same time. What they have in common is the intensive use of counterpoint, and these versions let you notice this like no other. These are reference versions, equally enjoyable by both casual listeners and music students."

Quantitative Evaluation

Professor Ahmet Alp Sayar | Istanbul, Turkey | 06/03/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Audio Merits:8/10; Video Merits:10/10;Musical Merits:10/10;Cinematographic Merits:9/10;Overall Artistic Performance:9/10;Recording Total Quality:9/10. Professor's Recommendation:Everyone should collect each title of Karajan's Legacy Serie released by Sony. They are considered as Legendary Recordings of major historical value."