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The Complete EMI Recordings 1946-1984, Vol. 1: Orchestral [Box Set] | ![The Complete EMI Recordings 1946-1984, Vol. 1: Orchestral [Box Set]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21YT88OIdUL._SL160_.jpg)
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| Creators: Hans Hotter, Otto Edelmann, Cecil James, Gunter Piesk, Manfred Braun, Mstislav Rostropovich, Bernard Walton, Herbert Stahr, Karl Leister, Leopold Wlach, Mily Balakirev, Bela Bartok, Ludwig Van Beethoven, Hector Berlioz, Georges Bizet, Alexander Borodin, Johannes Brahms, Benjamin Britten, Anton Bruckner, Emmanuel Chabrier
Label: EMI Classics
Category: Music
List Price: $215.98
Buy New: $147.96
You Save: $68.02 (31%)
New (14) Used (3) from $127.29
Avg. Customer Rating:  11 reviews
Sales Rank: 16258
Format: Box Set, Enhanced
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 88
Shipping Weight (lbs): 5.3
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 5.2 x 5
EAN: 5099951203825
ASIN: B000ZBPQEO
Release Date: April 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand new Item. CD, DVD, Book, VHS more than 400 000 titles to choose from. ALL days Low Price !
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| Tracks:
Disc 1
Disc 2
| • | 1. Allegro non troppo | | • | 2. Adagio non troppo | | • | 3. Allegretto grazioso (Quasi andantino) | | • | 4. Allegro con spirito |
Disc 3
| • | 1. Allegro con brio | | • | 2. Andante con moto | | • | 3. Allegro | | • | 4. Allegro | | • | 1. Allegro vivace e con brio | | • | 2. Allegretto scherzando | | • | 3. Tempo di Menuetto | | • | 4. Allegro vivace |
Disc 4
| • | 1. Allegro assai | | • | 2. Andante con moto | | • | 3. Menuetto: Allegro vivace - Trio | | • | 4. Finale: Allegro | | • | 1. Andante - Allegro ma non troppo | | • | 2. Andante con moto | | • | 3. Scherzo: Allegro vivace - Trio | | • | 4. Finale: Allegro |
Disc 5
| • | Overture | | • | 1. Allegro | | • | 2. Romanza: Andante | | • | 3. Menuetto: Allegretto - Trio | | • | 4. Rondo: Allegro | | • | 1. Allegro | | • | 2. Adagio | | • | 3. Rondo: Allegro | | • | 1. Adagio - Allegro | | • | 2. Andante con moto | | • | 3. Menuetto: Allegretto - Trio | | • | 4. Finale: Allegro |
Disc 6
| • | 1. Adagio | | • | 2. Allegro con grazia | | • | 3. Allegro molto vivace | | • | 4. Finale: Adagio lamentoso - Andante |
Disc 7
| • | 1. Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso | | • | 2. Molto vivace - Presto - Molto vivace - Presto | | • | 3. Adagio molto e cantabile - | | • | Andante moderato - Tempo 1 - Andante moderato - Adagio | | • | 4. Presto - Allegro ma non troppo - Tempo 1 - Vivace - Tempo 1 - Adagio cantabile - Tempo 1 - Alleg | | • | Presto - Recitativo - Allegro assai | | • | Allegro assai vivace. Alla marcia - | | • | Andante maestoso - Adagio ma non troppo - | | • | Allegro energico, sempre ben marcato - | | • | Allegro ma non tanto - Poco adagio - Tempo 1 - Poco adagio - | | • | Poco allegro, stringendo il tempo, sempre piu allegro - Prestissimo - Maestoso - Prestissimo |
Disc 8
| • | Concerto No. 1 in E, RV269 'Spring' : 1. Allegro | | • | Concerto No. 1 in E, RV269 'Spring' : 2. Lergo e pianissimo | | • | Concerto No. 1 in E, RV269 'Spring' : 3. Danza pastorale: Allegro | | • | Concerto No. 2 in G minor, RV315 'Summer': 1. Allegro non molto | | • | Concerto No. 2 in G minor, RV315 'Summer': 2. Adagio | | • | Concerto No. 2 in G minor, RV315 'Summer': 3. L'Orage: Presto | | • | Concerto No. 3 in F, RV293 'Autumn': 1. Allegro | | • | Concerto No. 3 in F, RV293 'Autumn': 2. Adagio | | • | Concerto No. 3 in F, RV293 'Autumn': 3. Allegro | | • | Concerto No. 4 in F minor, RV297 'Winter': 1. Allegro non molto | | • | Concerto No. 4 in F minor, RV297 'Winter': 2. Largo | | • | Concerto No. 4 in F minor, RV297 'Winter': 3. Allegro |
Disc 9
| • | 1. Largo - Allegro vivo | | • | 2. Scherzo: Vivo | | • | 3. Andante | | • | 4. Finale: Allegro moderato | | • | 1. Lento - Allegro con brio | | • | 2. Lento molto | | • | 3. Allegro scherzando | | • | 4. Allegro molto |
Disc 10
| • | 1. Adagio molto - Allegro con brio | | • | 2. Andante cantabile con moto | | • | 3. Menuetto: Allegro molto vivace - Trio | | • | 4. Adagio - Allegro molto e vivace | | • | 1. Allegro con brio | | • | 2. Marcia funebre: Adagio assai | | • | 3. Scherzo: Allegro vivace - Trio | | • | 4. Allegro molto - Poco andante - Presto |
Disc 11
| • | 1. Poco sostenuto - Vivace | | • | 2. Larghetto | | • | 3. Scherzo: Allegro - Trio | | • | 4. Allegro molto | | • | 1. Poco sostenuto - Vivace | | • | 2. Allegretto | | • | 3. Presto - Assai meno presto | | • | 4. Allegro con brio |
Disc 12
| • | 1. Adagio - Allegro vivace | | • | 2. Adagio | | • | 3. Menuetto: Allegro vivace - Trio: Un Poco meno allegro | | • | 4. Allegro ma non troppo | | • | 1. Allegro con brio | | • | 2. Andante con moto | | • | 3. Allegro | | • | 4. Allegro - Presto |
Disc 13
| • | 1. Awakening of pleasant feelings upon arriving in the country - Allegro ma non troppo | | • | 2. Scene at the Brook - Andante molto mosso | | • | 3. Pesants' Merrymaking - Allegro | | • | 4. The Storm - Allegro | | • | 5. Shepherds' Hymn after the Storm - Allegretto | | • | 1. Allegro vivace e con brio | | • | 2. Allegretto scherzando | | • | 3. Tempo di Menuetto | | • | 4. Allegro vivace | | • | Overture |
Disc 14
| • | 1. Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso | | • | 2. Molto vivace - Presto | | • | 3. Adagio molto e cantabile - Andante moderato | | • | 4. Presto - Recitativo - Allegro assai - Allegro assai vivace - Alla marcia - Andante maestoso - Al |
Disc 15
| • | Act 4. Entr'acte | | • | Act 3. Entr'acte | | • | Act 2. Entr'acte | | • | Act 1. Prelude | | • | Prelude | | • | Minuetto | | • | Adagietto | | • | Carillon | | • | Pastorale | | • | Intermezzo | | • | Menuet | | • | Farandole | | • | Intermezzo | | • | Intermezzo | | • | Dance of the Persian Slaves |
Disc 16
| • | Chorale (St. Antoni) | | • | Variation 1: Poco piu animato | | • | Variation 2: Piu vivace | | • | Variation 3: Con moto | | • | Variation 4: Andante con moto | | • | Variation 5: Vivace | | • | Variation 6: Vivace | | • | Variation 7: Grazioso | | • | Variation 8: Presto non troppo | | • | Finale: Andante | | • | 1. Un poco sostenuto - Allegro | | • | 2. Andante sostenuto | | • | 3. Un poco allegretto e grazioso | | • | 4. Adagio - Piu andante - Allegro non troppo |
Disc 17
| • | 1. Allegro moderato | | • | 2. Andante con moto - | | • | 3. Rondo: Vivace | | • | 1. Adagio | | • | 2. Adagio un poco mosso - | | • | 3. Rondo: Allegro |
Disc 18
| • | Marche hongroise | | • | Royal Hunt & Storm | | • | 1. Reveries, Passions. Largo - Allegro agitato e appassionato assai | | • | 2. Un bal. Valse. Allegro non troppo | | • | 3. Scene aux champs. Adagio | | • | 4. Marche au supplice. Allegretto non troppo | | • | 5. Songe d'une nuit du sabbat. Larghetto - Allegro - Allegro assai - Allegro - Un peu retenu (Ronde |
Disc 19
| • | 1. Allegro non troppo | | • | 2. Adagio non troppo | | • | 3. Allegretto grazioso | | • | 4. Allegro con spirito | | • | 1. Allegro moderato | | • | 2. Andante con moto |
Disc 20
| • | 1. Allegro non troppo | | • | 2. Andante moderato | | • | 3. Allegro giocoso | | • | 4. Allegro energico e passionato - Piu allegro | | • | 1. I pini di Villa Borghese | | • | 2. I pini presso una catacomba | | • | 3. I pini del Gianicola | | • | 4. I pini della Via Appia |
Disc 21
| • | Introduction & Theme. Lento maestoso - Allegretto poco lento | | • | Adagio. Adagio | | • | March. Presto alla marcia | | • | Romance. Allegretto grazioso | | • | Aria italiana. Allegro brillante | | • | Bourree classique. Allegro e pesante | | • | Wiener Walzer. Lento - Vivace | | • | Moto perpetuo. Allegro molto | | • | Funeral March. Andante ritmico | | • | Chant. Lento | | • | Fugue and Finale. Allegro molto vivace - Lento e solenne | | • | Premiere donne | | • | Deuxieme donne | | • | Troisieme donne |
Disc 22
| • | 1. Allegro | | • | 2. Air | | • | 3. Bourree & Hornpipe | | • | 4. Andante espressivo | | • | 5. Allegro deciso | | • | Prelude a la nuit | | • | Malaguena | | • | Habanera | | • | Feria | | • | 1. De l'aube a midi sur la mer | | • | 2. Jeux de vagues | | • | 3. Dialogue du vent et de la mer |
Disc 23
| • | Intermezzo | | • | 1. Andante tranquillo | | • | 2. Allegro | | • | 3. Adagio | | • | 4. Allegro molto | | • | 3. Adagio (rehearsal sequence) | | • | 1. Introduzione. Andante non troppo - Allegro vivace | | • | 2. Giuco delle copie. Allegretto scherzando | | • | 3. Elegia. Andante non troppo | | • | 4. Intermezzo interotto. Allegretto | | • | 5. Finale. Pesante - Presto |
Disc 24
| • | 1. Allegro con brio | | • | 2. Andante tranquillo | | • | 3. Allegro ritmico | | • | Venusberg Music |
Disc 25
| • | 1. Allegro | | • | 2. Rondo. Allegro | | • | 1. Allegro maestoso | | • | 2. Andante | | • | 3. Rondo | | • | 1. Allegro | | • | 2. Romance (Larghetto) | | • | 3. Allegro | | • | 1. Allegro moderato | | • | 2. Romanze. Andante | | • | 3. Rondo. Allegro vivace |
Disc 26
| • | 1. Marche | | • | 2. Menuetto | | • | 3. Allegro | | • | 1. Allegro | | • | 2. Romanze. Andante | | • | 3. Menuetto. Allegretto - Trio | | • | 4. Rondo. Allegro |
Disc 27
| • | 1. Allegro | | • | 2. Adagio | | • | 3. Presto | | • | 1. Allegro | | • | 2. Larghetto | | • | 3. Allegretto |
Disc 28
| • | 1. Allegro | | • | 2. Adagio | | • | 3. Andantino con variazioni | | • | 1. Allegro | | • | 2. Adagio | | • | 3. Rondo. Allegro |
Disc 29
| • | 1. Allegro con spirito | | • | 2. Andante | | • | 3. Menuetto - Trio | | • | 4. Finale. Presto | | • | 1. Adagio - Allegro | | • | 2. Andante | | • | 3. Menuetto. Allegretto - Trio | | • | 4. Finale. Allegro | | • | 1. Allegro | | • | 2. Thema mit Variationen. Andante grazioso | | • | 3. Menuetto - Trio | | • | 4. Adagio | | • | 5. Menuetto - Trio | | • | 6. Andante - Allegro molto |
Disc 30
| • | Promenade - Gnomus - Promenade | | • | The Old Castle | | • | Tuileries | | • | Bydlo - Promenade | | • | Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks | | • | Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuyle | | • | The Market Place at Limoges | | • | Catacombae - Cum linguis in lingua mortua | | • | The Hut on Fowl's Legs | | • | The Great Gate of Kiev | | • | Act 4. Entr'acte |
Disc 31
| • | Ouverture | | • | No. 1 | | • | No. 2 | | • | No. 6 | | • | No. 8 | | • | No. 9 | | • | No. 10 | | • | No. 11 | | • | No. 12 | | • | No. 13 | | • | No. 14 | | • | No. 15 | | • | No. 16 | | • | No. 17 | | • | No. 18 | | • | No. 22 | | • | No. 23 | | • | Ballet Music. No. 1. Les Nubiennes | | • | Ballet Music. No. 2. Adagio | | • | Ballet Music. No. 3. Allegretto - Danse antique | | • | Ballet Music. No. 4. Moderato maestoso - Variations de Cleopatre | | • | Ballet Music. No. 5. Moderato con moto - Les Troyens | | • | Ballet Music. No. 6. Allegretto - Variations du miroir | | • | Ballet Music. No. 7. Allegretto vivo - Danse de Phryne | | • | Ballet Music | | • | Dance of the Hours | | • | Polovtsian Dance No. 8 | | • | Polovtsian Dance No. 17 |
Disc 32
| • | Overture | | • | Overture | | • | Overture | | • | Overture | | • | Pas de trois et choeur tyrolien | | • | Overture | | • | Overture |
Disc 33
| • | 1. Allegro affetuoso - Andante espressivo - Allegro (Tempo I) | | • | 2. Intermezzo. Andantino grazioso | | • | 3. Allegro vivace | | • | 1. Allegro maestoso | | • | 2. Andante | | • | 3. Allegro vivace assai |
Disc 34
| • | 1. Allegro affetuoso - Andante espressivo - Allegro (Tempo I) - Piu animato - Tempo I - Cadenza - A | | • | 2. Intermezzo. Andantino grazioso | | • | 3. Allegro vivace | | • | 1. Allegro molto moderato | | • | 2. Adagio | | • | 3. Allegro moderato molto e marcato |
Disc 35
| • | 1. Allegretto | | • | 2. Tempo andante, ma rubato - Andante sostenuto - Allegro - Andante sostenuto | | • | 3. Vivacissimo - Lento e suave - Tempo primo | | • | 4. Finale. Allegro moderato | | • | 1. Tempo molto moderato - Largamente - Allegro moderato | | • | 2. Andante mosso, quasi allegretto | | • | 3. Allegro molto |
Disc 36
| • | 1. Tempo molto moderato, quasi adagio | | • | 2. Allegro molto vivace | | • | 3. Il tempo largo | | • | 4. Allegro | | • | 1. Tempo molto moderato - Largamente - Allegro moderato | | • | 2. Andante mosso, quasi allegretto | | • | 3. Allegro molto - Largamente assai |
Disc 37
| • | 1. Allegro molto moderato | | • | 2. Allegretto moderato | | • | 3. Poco vivace | | • | 4. Allegro molto - Allegro assai | | • | Adagio - Vivacissimo - | | • | Rallentando all'Adagio - | | • | Allegro molto moderato - Allegro moderato - | | • | Presto - Adagio - Largamente molto - Affettuoso |
Disc 38
| • | Intermezzo | | • | Polka | | • | Act 3. Prelude | | • | Barcarolle | | • | Act 3. Intermezzo |
Disc 39
| • | 1. Andante sostenuto - Moderato con anima | | • | 2. Andante in modo di canzona | | • | 3. Scherzo: Pizzicato ostinato, allegro | | • | 4. Finale: Allegro con fuoco | | • | Scene | | • | Act 1. Valse | | • | Act 2. Danse des petits cygnes | | • | Act 3. Introduction & Danse de la reine des cygnes | | • | Act 3. Danse hongroise (Czardas) |
Disc 40
| • | 1. Andante - Allegro con anima | | • | 2. Andante cantabile, con alcuna licenza | | • | 3. Valse: Allegro moderato | | • | 4. Finale: Andante maestoso - Allegro vivace | | • | Prologue. Introduction et Fee des Lilas | | • | Act 1. Pas d'action: Adagio | | • | Act 3. Pas de caractere (Le Chat botte) | | • | Act 2. Panorama | | • | Act 1. Valse |
Disc 41
| • | 1. Adagio - Allegro non troppo | | • | 2. Allegro con grazia | | • | 3. Allegro molto vivace | | • | 4. Finale: Adagio lamentoso - Andante | | • | Ouverture | | • | Marche | | • | Danse de la fee dragee | | • | Danse russe | | • | Danse arabe | | • | Danse chinoise | | • | Danse des mirlitons | | • | Valse des fleurs |
Disc 42
| • | Scene | | • | Act 1. Valse | | • | Act 2. Danse des petitis cygnes | | • | Act 3. Introduction & Danse de la reine des cygnes | | • | Act 3. Danse hongroise (Czardas) | | • | Prologue. Introduction et Fee des Lilas | | • | Act 1. Pas d'action: Adagio | | • | Act 3. Pas de caractere (Le Chat botte) | | • | Act 2. Panorama | | • | Act 1. Valse |
Disc 43
| • | Overture | | • | Overture | | • | 1. Adagio - Allegro | | • | 2. Andante | | • | 3. Finale: Presto |
Disc 44
| • | Intermezzo | | • | Intermezzo | | • | Intermezzo | | • | Act 4: Prelude | | • | Meditation | | • | Intermezzo | | • | Polovtsian dances | | • | Overture | | • | Polka |
Disc 45
| • | 1. Introduzione: Andante non troppo - Allegro vivace | | • | 2. Giuoco delle copie: Allegretto scherzando | | • | 3. Elegia: Andante non troppo | | • | 4. Intermezzo interrotto: Allegretto | | • | 5. Finale: Pesante - Presto | | • | 1. Andante tranquillo | | • | 2. Allegro | | • | 3. Adagio | | • | 4. Allegro molto |
Disc 46
| • | 1. Allegro con brio | | • | 2. Largo | | • | 3. Rondo: Allegro scherzando | | • | 1. Allegro con brio | | • | 2. Adagio | | • | 3. Rondo: Molto allegro |
Disc 47
| • | 1. Allegro con brio | | • | 2. Largo | | • | 3. Rondo: Allegro | | • | 1. Allegro | | • | 2. Adagio un poco mosso | | • | 3. Rondo: Allegro |
Disc 48
| • | 1. Allegro maestoso | | • | 2. Andante con moto | | • | 3. Rondo: Vivace | | • | 1. Allegro | | • | 2. Largo | | • | 3. Rondo alla Polacca |
Disc 49
| • | Theme: Andante | | • | Variation 1: Poco piu animato | | • | Variation 2: Piu vivace | | • | Variation 3: Con moto | | • | Variation 4: Andante con moto | | • | Variation 5: Vivace | | • | Variation 6: Vivace | | • | Variation 7: Grazioso | | • | Variation 8: Presto non troppo | | • | Finale: Andante | | • | 1. Allegro non troppo | | • | 2. Allegro appassionato | | • | 3. Andante - Piu adagio - Tempo 1 | | • | 4. Allegretto grazioso - Un poco piu presto |
Disc 50
| • | 1. Engelskonzert | | • | 2. Grablegung | | • | 3. Versuchung des heiligen Antonius | | • | 1. Allegro moderato | | • | 2. Scherzo: Allegro moderato - Trio: Langsam |
Disc 51
| • | 3. Adagio Feierchlich langsam, doch nicht schleppend | | • | 4. Finale: Feierlich, nicht schnell |
Disc 52
| • | 1. Bewegt, nicht zu schnell | | • | 2. Andante quasi allegretto | | • | 3. Scherzo: Bewegt - Trio: Nicht zu schnell | | • | 4. Finale: Bewegt, doch nicht zu schnell |
Disc 53
| • | 1. Allego moderato | | • | 2. Adagio: Sehr feierlich und sehr langsam | | • | 3. Scherzo: Sehr schnell - Trio: Etwas langsamer | | • | 4. Finale: Bewegt, doch nicht zu schnell |
Disc 54
| • | 1. De l'aube a midi sur la mer | | • | 2. Jeux de vagues | | • | 3. Dialogue du vent et de la mer |
Disc 55
| • | 1. Allegro con brio | | • | 2. Adagio | | • | 3. Allegretto grazioso | | • | 4. Allegro ma non troppo | | • | 1. Adagio - Allegro molto | | • | 2. Largo | | • | 3. Scherzo: Molto vivace | | • | 4. Allegro con fuoco |
Disc 56
| • | 1. Adagio - Allegro molto | | • | 2. Largo | | • | 3. Scherzo: Molto vivace | | • | 4. Allegro con fuoco | | • | Marche hongroise |
Disc 57
| • | 1. Lento - Allegro non troppo | | • | 2. Allegretto - Poco piu lento - Tempo I | | • | 3. Allegro non troppo |
Disc 58
| • | 1. Allegro spirito | | • | 2. Andante | | • | 3. Menuetto: Allegretto - Trio | | • | 4. Finale: Vivace | | • | 1. Allegro presto | | • | 2. Andante | | • | 3. Menuetto: Allegretto - Trio | | • | 4. Finale: Vivace | | • | 1. Adagio - Allegro | | • | 2. Andante | | • | 3. Menuetto: Allegro - Trio | | • | 4. Finale: Spiritoso |
Disc 59
| • | Meditation | | • | Overture | | • | Intermezzo | | • | Intermezzo | | • | Intermezzo | | • | Intermezzo | | • | Overture |
Disc 60
| • | 1. Allegro moderato | | • | 2. Andante | | • | 3. Menuetto - Trio | | • | 4. Allegro con spirito | | • | 1. Allegro con spirito | | • | 2. Andante | | • | 3. Menuetto - Trio | | • | 4. Finale: Presto | | • | 1. Adagio - Allegro spiritoso | | • | 2. Poco adagio | | • | 3. Menuetto - Trio | | • | 4. Finale: Presto |
Disc 61
| • | 1. Adagio - Allegro | | • | 2. Andante | | • | 3. Finale: Presto | | • | 1. Adagio - Allegro | | • | 2. Andante con moto | | • | 3. Menuett | | • | 4. Finale: Allegro | | • | 1. Adagio - Allegro (rehearsal extract) |
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| Customer Reviews: Read 6 more reviews...
 Karajan Complete October 27, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
The 88 CDs I have heard to about 66 before my cd player just rotates butnever stops at a disc. I bought the Opera v. 2 set too.
 good value for the money September 29, 2008
Not only is this conductor first class, the recordings are of good quality. The cost is less than $2 per hour of music.
Historico Karajan September 16, 2008
El sello EMI nos presenta las grabaciones de Herbert Von Karajan, el mas carismatico Director de Orquesta del s. XX, en el periodo de su maximo esplendor. Yo tengo los DVD con las Sinfonias de Beethoven y el Concierto para Violin (Op. 61)que son mucho mas recientes, pero la intensidad de estas producciones no es igual, pues muestran a un Karajan cansado, ya en el ocaso de su vida, no tan dinamico como en los primeros tiempos, aunque, claro, estas producciones se benefician de los avances tecnologicos.
Esta coleccion de EMI, en la que una gran parte es monofonica, es importante por su valor historico. El precio es muy razonable.
 Foolish execution of an ambitious project September 3, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
EMI has been releasing a great many ambitious box sets lately, some devoted to specific composers with as many as 30 CDs, but this dwarfs them all (except for the Maria Callas tome), and I'm just talking about volume one, the orchestral collection. Was i glad to see it done? Certainly! Do I wish that a little more care had gone into the planning and execution? Heartily!
The idea is a fine one, assembling all of Karajan's official EMI orchestral recordings in one package, and remastering many of them once again. But the execution is amateurish -- the paltry booklet giving the tracklist for each CD has no index, so if you are, say, only interested at a particular moment in hearing Karajan's interpretations of Johann Strauss II or Liszt, or even Bruckner (or any other composer, for that matter), get ready to turn a lot of pages and make lots of notes of disc numbers. Second, given that this is a 2008 release, the CDs aren't even title readout encoded (or whatever they call the function that displays the title of the piece as you play it, along with running time etc.), which is now pretty much standard.
And finally -- and I'm wondering if anyone else has run into this problem with this or any other of these EMI mega-sets, of Karajan, Callas, Vaughan Williams etc. -- a third of the CDs among the first dozen in this box (and the Vaughan Williams set) would not boot-up/scan/play properly in my player; some were perfect, but four of the first twelve cycled and cycled and spun a while but would not play, and two would only start in the middle of the disc (though they all did work fine on my Mac and in my all-region DVD player, but that's not what I have them for, or where I want to use them); I had two other box sets on my listening shelf the same evening from Universal, both Europe and Japan; and one from Sony US (an "original jackets" box), and every one of those discs played perfectly, without a hitch or a glitch.
Maybe at a retail price point of under $3 a disc it's too much to expect that this kind of box is much more than an ornament for a living room, the CD equivalent of a coffee table book -- "a set for people who don't listen to CDs" is how the best classical retailer I know in New York describes it.
Oh, and I will admit that the sound on what I've heard is fine, with the early Vienna recordings a marked improvement over some prior issues. But the producers of this set still have a very long way to go to fulfill its promise and potential; and as is all-too-often the case with these big CD (and DVD) sets, someone in the art department is making life very difficult for the purchaser -- in this instance, someone should have told the appropriate people at EMI, yes, keep it simple but don't neglect the bloody obvious, either! Meanwhile, I still listen to the late mono and the stereo parts of the Karajan EMI library on my late 1980's CDs of this same material, organized conveniently on a normal shelf, easy-to-find etc.
More Praise August 22, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I can only echo the extravagant praise of my fellow Amazon.com reviewers. This box, which contains literally everything Karajan recorded for EMI in Vienna, London and Berlin from the 1940's through the early '80's, and its companion volume, which features all of Karajan's opera/vocal recordings for this label, provide a unique opportunity to hear, enjoy and assess the developing career of a great artist. Karajan was arguably the most important conductor since Furtwaengler and Toscanini, and we are fortunate that he made so many recordings on various labels. The EMI recordings, many of them from relatively early in his career, are arguably his finest from an interpretive point of view. It is quite instructive to compare the leaner and more incisive sound Karajan elicited from his ensembles in the earlier phase of his career, with the more bloated textures he created with the BPO (and, to a lesser extent, from the VPO) during his later period. Though no admirer of von Karajan would want to be without his greatest efforts for DG, the early EMI recordings convey an elemental vigor and cogency that are only fitfully recaptured in his DG recordings. Interestingly, many of the later EMI recordings included here (such as the Sibelius symphonies from the late stereo/early digital era) are superior both sonically and interpretively to his DG recordings from the same period, further confirming my hunch that Karajan did his best work for EMI.
Of course any anthology of this kind will have its ups and downs, both from an interpretive and a sonic point of view. So, for instance the heady excitement of his early Mozart recordings with the VPO is somewhat dulled by indifferent monaural recordings. Nor is Karajan's first Beethoven cycle with the Philharmonia as perceptive as his classic 1963 cycle with the BPO for DG, superbly played though it is. But one should not make too much of these comparisons in light of the consistently high standard of excellence found in this 88-CD set, to say nothing of its status as one of the most extraordinary bargains ever offered by a major label (less than two dollars per CD from many sellers on this website). Certainly there are many great performances here, including at least four which in my estimation have never been surpassed: a monaural Vaughan Williams "Tallis Fantasia" and Britten "Frank Bridge Variations" with the Philharmonia, a Bruckner Seventh with the BPO from 1971 and an early digital Sibelius Sixth, also with the BPO. Some of the early VPO performances are particularly incandescent (Beethoven's Fifth and Ninth, for instance).
In addition to symphonic repertoire this box also contains numerous overtures and lighter fare, all done to a turn. Concertante works abound, featuring such estimable soloists as Dennis Brain (in his famous account of the Mozart Horn Concerti), Dinu Lipatti (in Mozart's Concerto no. 21), Alexis Weissenberg (in the complete Beethoven Piano Concertos), Oistrakh Richter and Rostropovich (in the Beethoven "Triple Concerto"), James Galway (in the first Mozart flute concerto), etc. But of course it would be impossible to list everything of merit in this set. I have owned at one time or another, in various formats, about half of these recordings. I am gradually making my way through those with which I am unfamiliar, and am finding that my appreciation of Karajan is enhanced with virtually every new acquaintance. I am also impressed by the quality of the digital transfers of material which I had previously heard only on LP (or in previous CD incarnations). I'm not certain whether EMI has gone to the trouble of securing new remasterings in every case, but the sound seems better focused overall, with minimal tape hiss and a better sense of space around the instruments than before. Of course, nothing much can be done to improve the dry string timbres in some of the earliest mono recordings.
In sum, then, this collection is unmissable-- whether you are a Karajan fan or a listener interested in the history of conducting and twentieth-century orchestral performance practice. Since the range of repertoire is extraordinarily broad--from Vivaldi to Bartok-- this box could also serve as something like a comprehensive introduction to the standard repertoire for a beginner in classical music. Purchase it as a gift for a music student, or donate one to your local public or college library.
And while you're at it, don't forget to order the companion box containing dozens of operas ranging from Mozart to Strauss, plus a number of choral masterpieces (Bach Mass in B Minor, Beethoven Missa Solemnis, Haydn's Seasons, Brahms's German Requiem). You can obtain both boxes for less than it will probably cost you to keep your SUV on the road for a month. Walk, ride a bicycle or carpool--and then save the money for this extraordinary opportunity before it fades from view.
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