10/11/2023
"With Karajan I always have to overcome some initial prejudice—I don’t mean prejudice before the music has begun, but after the first few phrases. I tend to feel that he is playing everything for effect, that he is making things larger than life, and so on. In the end I nearly always capitulate and humbly admit that I was wrong from the start, that he is a great conductor—of Richard Strauss, of Beethoven, of Debussy, Ravel, whatever it may be. I need hardly say, since he is conducting the Philharmonia, that the orchestral playing is superb. So is the recording." - The Gramophone, 1954
This week brings together two sets of Karajan's recordings of French music, from sessions with the Philharmonic Orchestra held in 1953 and 1958, in which superb playing, exemplary conducting and sumptuous recordings come together - fabulously remastered and sounding stupendously good - to make a superb release, just in time for the coming festive season.
We also celebrate Borodin's 190th birthday with a 20% discount on all our recordings of his music. All this, and more, in this week's Pristine newsletter:
This week's Pristine Classical newsletter THE PRISTINE NEWSLETTER This week: Karajan conducts French music Classic Bizet, Ravel and Chabrier recordings transformed! This week's release, featuring Herb