Berliner Philharmoniker & Herbert von Karajan - Prokofiev: Symphony No.5 In B-Flat, Op.100 / Stravinsky: Le Sacre du Printemps (1970/2017) [Hi-Res]

Karajan does it again. The Prokofiev 5th is another of the great conductor's famous recordings. He labored for years, refining and perfecting his interpretation of this perennial favorite. It's one of the most played of 20th-century symphonies. Unlike many other works, Karajan recorded this symphony just once and he got everything right the first time. It's my experience with Karajan that when the man records only once, it's usually quite an accomplishment. Check out his lone recordings of Richard Strauss' Sinfonia Domestica and Alpine Symphony or Mahler's Fifth to know just how masterful Karajan can be when he zeroes in and makes a near perfect record of a piece of music. This Prokofiev 5th is in that elite class. The beautiful strings of the Berlin Philharmonic, the swirling woodwinds and the breathtaking cymbal crashes at the end of the first movement in particular are just some of the icing on the cake. Amazing performance, no doubt.

The Rite of Spring is a different animal altogether, Karajan is not the right conductor for this work. He moulds and caresses the musical lines in the high-romantic German fashion, not the angular, abrasive, pre-civilization Russia that Stravinsky wanted to convey. Stravinsky was very critical of Karajan's earlier Rite of Spring recording so Karajan obviously wanted to take up the challenge of this consummate 20th-century masterwork again. He does it better this time, it is a well played, sleek account which makes it unique and it is well recorded, just like the accompanying Prokofiev, but what works in Prokofiev's 5th does not work in The Rite of Spring.

Berliner Philharmoniker
Herbert von Karajan, conductor

Digitally remastered