It is obvious the maestro took seriously his conducting when driving the "Ninth Symphony" bus. There is a certain star-alignment that occurs when a German Orchestra performs the greatest piece of music by a German composer and the performance is directed by a conductor with that shared experience. That alignment exists in this video performance from New Year's Eve, 1977.
The symphony performance can best be described as a controlled hurricane, executed with Teutonic precision. Karajan physically drives the orchestra in the performance, which is crisp and sharp. The sonics are captured and reproduced in such a way that the listener feels as if he or she is among the instruments. The opening tremolo in the first movement is so well defined that the listener can readily hear the un poco maestoso that accompanies the Allegro ma non troppo marking.
the second and third movements are dramatic, particularly in the low stings and horns. Beethoven's dear oboes are very evident here. The finale, surrounding Schiller's An die Freude is powerful and well performed by soloist and chorus. It is grand to listen to this music but it is grander to see it performed. To see it performed by an orchestra founded on the music and directed by a conductor dedicated to it, argues positively for owning this DVD. This is what Beethoven looks and sounds like.
Ludwig van Beethoven, Giovanni Palestrina - Concert in Honor of Pope Benedict XVI
Synphonieorchestrer und Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Maris Jasons (Arthaus Musik, 2007)
Concert in Honor of Pope Benedict XVI is notable for two things: a crack orchestra and conductor perform and the Holy Father himself requested one of the two pieces performed. Add to this that Joesph Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI is the first German pope since Pope Adrian VI was elevated in 1523 and that Beethoven's "Ninth Symphony" is on the slate and the listen can only expect good things.
The concert opens with the Holy Father entering the Paul VI Performance Hall in a manner not unlike the President of the United States entering the Congressional Chamber for the State of the Union address. Once the pope was seated, his holiness is addressed by the current Archbishop of Munich and Freising and the director of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. The DVD contains an address by the Holy Father and a short documentary, "Götterfunken für den Papst" ("Divine Spark for the Pope").
Article comments
1 - lember
Honor? What is the occasion for such of Honour?