Tschaikowsky: Symphonie No. 5

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Herbert von Karajan's late, digital recordings almost never rise to the heights of his great performances of the '60s and '70s, and this one is no exception. Indifferently played, recorded in glaring digital sound, and at full price less of a deal than the conductor's earlier version with the Berlin Philharmonic, this recording simply makes no claims on your classical music dollars. This sort of useless duplication of repertoire is both confusing for the consumer and a narcissistic self-indulgence on the part of the conductor. --David Hurwitz

Tracks:

Sym No.5 in e, op.64: Andante-Allegro con anima
Sym No.5 in e, op.64: Andante cantabile, con alcuna licenza-Moderato con anima-Andante mosso...
Sym No.5 in e, op.64: Valse. Allegro moderato
Sym No.5 in e, op.64: Finale. Andante maestoso-Allegro vivace-Molto vivace-Moderato assai e molto...

Amazon.com

Herbert von Karajan's late, digital recordings almost never rise to the heights of his great performances of the '60s and '70s, and this one is no exception. Indifferently played, recorded in glaring digital sound, and at full price less of a deal than the conductor's earlier version with the Berlin Philharmonic, this recording simply makes no claims on your classical music dollars. This sort of useless duplication of repertoire is both confusing for the consumer and a narcissistic self-indulgence on the part of the conductor. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Tchaikovsky Fifth.......2003-09-10

Karajan and the VPO are on fire here. This is an urgent, powerful performance. I think I may actually prefer this one to the 1976 BPO Karajan performance. It's less polished but more passionate. Aside from a few minor flubs, the VPO has rarely sounded better: such a warm, rich, burnished sound, yet so much emotion and passion in the playing.

The sound is excellent, better than on some of the other late Karajan recordings.

This is one day on which Karajan and the VPO really decided to go for broke.

A lack-lustre performance from VPO & Karajan.......1999-05-30

Although this is not the worst recording of No. 5 that I've heard, I'm definitely disappointed with this Karajan recording. Compared to his earlier recording of the same work with BPO, this one with VPO is plain & mechanical. Tempos are generally fast but there is not much detail. The richness of this work is lost. This is uncharacteristic of a conductor of his class.

Looking for the definitive 5th, this is not it........1998-10-22

As an avid classical collector (over 600 CDs), I purchased this to add to my extensive catalog of Tchaikowsky's 5th. The piece starts out sterling, the Vienna Philharmonic and Karajan draw you into the music and captivate your mind's eye with images of thousands of violins being furiously played. The original image bit processing sound is extraordinary!! Better than the 4D of DG. However towards the end of the 2d movement the pace picks up. The music becomes hurried and rushed. The execution is there but there is no time to dwell on the splendor of this piece. It feels rushed. This speed continues through both the 3d and 4th movements. At the end you feel somewhat let down. I expected more from this disc. The Solti version with Chicago recorded in 1989 is much better and would be the disc I would recommend if you only want one recording of this piece. However, the crispness and clarity of the recording makes this one for a collector.

Beethoven: Klavierkonzert No. 5; Tschaikowsky: Symphonie No. 4

Average customer rating:

Good performances from the 1970s but not worth $37

Beethoven: Klavierkonzert No. 5; Tschaikowsky: Symphonie No. 4

Manufacturer: Orfeo D'or
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0000AITAV
Release Date: 2005-01-25

Customer Reviews:

Good performances from the 1970s but not worth $37.......2005-07-05

I owned this shortly after it became available in Europe, hoping it would recapture the magic Bohm used in the 1970s when he recorded the Tchaikovksy Symphony No. 4 with the London Symphony Orchestra.

These performances, with the Czech Philharmonic, are quite a bit different. The Tchaikovsky is highly driven and quite dramatic, a large departure from the more deliberately paced recording Bohm made for Decca/London with LSO. The Tchaikovsky is fine in its own right but, for me, lacked some of the tension from his older recording, which was never released on CD.

As to the Beethoven, I thought Gilels and Bohm turned in a fine performance but other critics thought otherwise. I'm not a great admirer of the concerto, although I would never say it is unimportant or bad music. It just doesn't do much for me, so I doubt my impression of this performance is any yardstick.

The goings on, from an evening at the 1973 Salzburg Festival, are captured in wonderful, vivid sound. The sound stage is large and three dimensional, better than what you would hear in the concert hall. So, if you have any interest in this, don't hold back because of the sound.

Vienna Master Series - Peter I. Tschaikowsky - Symphony No. 5 (Symphonie Nr. 5)

Average customer rating:

Vienna Master Series - Peter I. Tschaikowsky - Symphony No. 5 (Symphonie Nr. 5)

Manufacturer: Pilz, PMG
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000C12370