No. 1 Archive

SIBELIUS: Symphony Nos. 5, 6, & 7 – Philharmonia Orchestra/ Herbert von Karajan – Praga Digitals 

by Audiophile Audition | Feb 23, 2018 | Classical Reissue Reviews

The last three of the Sibelius symphonies vibrate with a clarity and intensity peculiarly Karajan’s. SIBELIUS: Symphony No. 5 in E-flat Major, Op. 82; Symphony No. 6 in d minor, Op. 104; Symphony No. 7 in C Major, Op. 105 – Philharmonia Orchestra/ Herbert von Karajan – Praga Digitals PRD 250 355, 77:30 [Distr. by Harmonia mundi/PIAS] ****: At the behest of EMI music producer Walter Legge (1906-1979), Austrian conductor Herbert von Karajan (1908-1989) received a kind of political/artistic reprieve in 1946, his having been banned from musical activities in Vienna by the Soviet occupation for Karajan’s participation in Nazi cultural life.  Legge wished to see his recently formed Philharmonia Orchestra of London enjoy a honing process under such musical directors as Karajan, Dobrowen, and Susskind. The Sibelius symphonies recorded here date from 1955 and 1960 (E-flat Symphony), respectively, celebrating the better of ten and fourteen years’ association between Karajan and the most superb British orchestra ensemble after the formation of Beecham’s Royal Philharmonic.  Karajan certainly adds to the pantheon of great Sibelius interpreter, but we must ponder why the Symphony No. 3 in C, Op. 52 never received from him its due in terms of live or recorded performance. […]