Herbert Von Karajan Memorial Concert

Anne-Sophie Mutter; Berliner Philharmoniker / Seiji Ozawa

Beethoven: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major, op. 61
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 in B minor, op. 74 „Pathétique”
Bach: Sarabande from Partita in D minor, BWV 1004

Wholenote Discoveries - April 2009
A new DVD entitled Herbert von Karajan Memorial Concert features The Berlin Philharmonic, Seiji Ozawa conducting with soloist Professor Anne-Sophie Mutter recorded in Vienna’s Grosser Musikvereinssaal on the 28 January 2008. The program opens with the Beethoven Violin Concerto followed by an encore of the Sarabande from Bach’s Partita No.2 for solo violin and finally the Tchaikovsky Sixth Symphony (Medici Arts 2072514 for Blu-ray; 2072518 for DVD). All three works are in the stratosphere of superlative interpretations and performances, quite faultless, I thought. The deeply felt performance of the symphony, played without any histrionics, immediately joins the very short list of the greatest on record. Frankly, I didn’t believe that Ozawa had it in him. Mutter has never played better or more brilliantly than she does here, employing the Fritz Kreisler cadenza in the first movement. Her fans, as well as lovers of the concerto will be beside themselves. All are abetted by the best sound ever accorded these pieces. The camera work demonstrates how far the art has progressed over the years, in this case seen from the Blu-ray disc. If you are yet undecided about Blu-ray then this may well be the tipping point for you. Bruce Surtees
A “triumph of remembrance,” wrote Die Welt following this stirring concert given by the Berliner Philharmoniker under Seiji Ozawa and with Anne-Sophie Mutter as soloist. It left its audience hovering between hushed reverence and deafening exultation. The Golden Hall of Vienna’s Musikverein was the dazzling venue for the live recording of this concert celebrating the 100th birthday of Herbert von Karajan. And there Karajan’s “Berliner” never sounded better, evoking “a time which self-confidently sought the private and subjective in music, and believed it could find them in the mirror of the works” (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung). It is a concert that commemorates Herbert von Karajan for the ages in a supremely moving manner.

Price: $29.98