Karajan Live

[jayne lee wilson]

I bought the Brahms. Hopefully get to it this weekend

Please could you review it here, especially as regards the sound? I'd be very grateful for that, thanks....

[richardfinegold]

I listened to the Brahms twice yesterday, once as background listening while doing household chores on one of my HT systems, and once on my 2 channel system while relaxing in my recliner after snow shoveling for seemingly the umpteenth time this winter. I haven't listened to the studio version for perhaps a couple of years and no longer have those CDs but had burned them to my NAS; I listened to a few minutes of the studio version to refresh my aural memory as to sonics (Symphony I/IV, the introduction into the main theme)
Regarding the sonics: these recordings were made in the same hall as the Mahler Sixth, the Salle Pleyel in Paris, but interestingly two years before the Mahler (1975 vs 1977). The Mahler sounds better, with more presence and impact, and I would have to believe that the engineers (if they are the same; there are no notes provided) may have benefited from prior experience when they made the latter recording. Having noted that, the Brahms is certainly listenable, a decent two channel stereo tape. The main difference vs the studio version, as with the Mahler Sixth, is a shrinkage of the sound stage depth, from front to back. I didn't notice the occasional overload that the Mahler had. The audience is quieter, with enthusiastic applause at the end of each work (if not as wild as after the Mahler 6) but much less coughing. So overall the sonics are not as good as the studio, but a pretty reasonably close approximation.
Personally, I feel a bit cheated when I listen to radio broadcasts from the same time period, such as the BBC Legends discs, most of which were in Mono, and which I had paid full price for. I am particularly thinking of the Horenstein recordings (Nielsen 5, Mahler 9). With these recordings I don't feel that way; if that is helpful.
As to performance, I note that I haven't made a detailed comparison vs. the studio, but I think they are largely the same interpretations. The one that really grabbed me was the Third. I don't remember the middle movements having such a singing quality, and IV is exciting without sounding supercharged. This is the one place in the cycle where I can say the participants were really on their form; I will be listening to this Third repetitively. The others all have that extra bit of adrenaline that live performance imparts but largely resemble their studio counterparts, asI remember them

[BBMmk2]

Sounds quite fascinating.

[Petrushka]

Personally, I feel a bit cheated when I listen to radio broadcasts from the same time period, such as the BBC Legends discs, most of which were in Mono, and which I had paid full price for. I am particularly thinking of the Horenstein recordings (Nielsen 5, Mahler 9). With these recordings I don't feel that way; if that is helpful.

I have both of those Horenstein recordings you mention and both are actually in stereo, though neither are really in the 'same time period' dating from 1966 (Mahler 9) and 1971 (Nielsen 5). The BBC started stereo broadcasts in 1966 with some experimental ones (such as the Horenstein Mahler 8) from earlier years. Certainly by 1977 BBC broadcasts were very good, some I've heard from that time sound as good, or even better, than many encountered today, especially Prom concerts.

[richardfinegold]

I have both of those Horenstein recordings you mention and both are actually in stereo, though neither are really in the 'same time period' dating from 1966 (Mahler 9) and 1971 (Nielsen 5). The BBC started stereo broadcasts in 1966 with some experimental ones (such as the Horenstein Mahler 8) from earlier years. Certainly by 1977 BBC broadcasts were very good, some I've heard from that time sound as good, or even better, than many encountered today, especially Prom concerts.

I remember paying full Amazon price around $17 Us at the time (the complete Rubinstein Chopin on RCA/Sony cost that) for each disc, and it wasn't stated anywhere at the time that they were in Mono. Certainly they are listenable, but...These Karajan Live tapes are good fm broadcast quality, not quite equal to a good CD but certainly an improvement over the BBC Legend discs. I used the BBC discs as a guidepost that may be familiar to Forum Listeners.

I listened to the Karajan Mahler 5 , which was taped in Salzburg in 1978. It hews very closely to the recording, so much so that there is no pause from I-II, with several coughers in the audience being caught out as they probably thought they had a chance to clear their bronchial tubes, and can be heard stifling in md cough. The sonic are as described for the Paris recordings, with the biggest drawback being the lack of front to back stage depth. The sound does notably kick up a notch in III, leading me to believe that this might be two different performances spliced together, or else that a radio engineer was asleep at the switch for I-II and then was elbowed in the ribs and turned a dial.

Next up, Mahler 9 from Salzburg