Cheap Great Conductors of the 20th Century: Karl Böhm (Music) (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Anton Bruckner, Franz Joseph Haydn, Franz Schubert, Karl Bohm) Price

Related Products

Customer Reviews of Great Conductors of the 20th Century: Karl Böhm

One of the finest of the series.
Unlike many of the other sets in this admirable series, Bohm's has the usual advantage of being entirely stereo. But, regarding the selections, let's dispense first with the cookie and get to the meat and potatoes. The Cosi fan tutte Overture has no glitches. It is well characterized and presented. Elsewhere, and right from the outset, Karl Bohm shows that he is well in touch with the mystery and majesty of the marvelous Bruckner Eighth. He proceeds to direct a performance that simply and powerfully underscores those features of the Bruckner idiom that are among the most magnetic and endearing---namely, grandeur and haunting beauty. And, he is aided significantly in his effort by the acoustics of the recording venue, which seem to offer a perfect match for the composer's expansive sonorities. There is a downside to this, however, which manifests itself in the occasionally less than stellar quality exhibited by the horn section, especially the main player. In the overall scheme, not a serious problem, though it could be considered a bit of a distraction now and then. Nevertheless, the big orchestral climaxes are extremely satisfying, and so too are the deeper spiritual episodes. Very enjoyable Bruckner...The Haydn Symphony 91 is fine, but here I prefer things to be a little more lithe, and a tad lighter in tone during the quicker sections...The Schubert Ninth is sturdy and dynamic, clearly one of the best "Great C Majors" ever recorded. Particularly noteworthy are the pulse, accents and nuances manifested by Bohm, all of which convince me that he had considerable fondness for this magnificent work. I must also credit the impressive sounding horns of the Dresden Staatskapelle for helping to enhance the very fine performance. In fact, I find this Dresden account preferable to Bohm's earlier one with the Berlin Philharmonic. All the more interesting because when it was made, Bohm was 85 years old. Listening especially to the final movement, you would never know this. Indeed, these recordings are a testament to Karl Bohm's greatness as one of the elite conductors of the past.

---

Great Conductors of 20th Century = Best Reissues of the 21st
It's sad that the "Great Conductors of the 20th Century" reissue series has not gotten more attention, because it has my vote for the best reissue program thus far of the 21st Century. Drawing from the archives of all the major classical labels (EMI, Sony, BMG, DG, Decca, Philips, Supraphon, etc.), EMI and IMG Artists have assembled a wonderful series of affordable two-disc sets by the leading conductors of the last century. And unlike its counterpart, "The Great Pianists of the 20th Century," which are basically compilations of material already available on other CDs, the "Great Conductors" features rare and, for the most part, previously unreleased performances! And as if that wasn't enough, the most recent volumes (beginning with no. 25) are now available at mid-line instead of full-price!

This particular CD, Volume 27, features the great Karl Bohm. Unlike many of the conductors featured in this series, the majority of Bohm's great performances have been reissued on CD, mostly by Deutsche Grammophon. As a result, you would think there wouldn't be any worthwhile unreleased material left. Well, guess again, and since the track information is non-existent above, allow me to tell what is contained in this fine collection.

This 2CD set only contains four works -- an Overture and three Symphonies. First is the Overture, from Mozart's "Cosi Fan Tutti" from 1962 with the Philharmonia Orchestra made for EMI. This piece was extracted from the complete recording of the opera, a critically acclaimed performance, and since I am not an opera collector it is wonderful to have here. Next is Bruckner's 8th Symphony, recorded live in the studio for radio broadcast in 1974 with the Koln RSO. Disc two begins with Haydn's 91st Symphony from 1973 with the Vienna Philharmonic. I am delighted with this work's inclusion as I have always enjoyed Bohm's now out-of-print disc of Haydn's Symphonies Nos. 88, 89 & 92 (now they just need to reissue 90). Last is Schubert's 9th from a 1979 live recording with the Staatskapelle Dresden. This performance of "The Great" is not as great as the one on Bohm's Schubert Cycle for DG, but it is very enjoyable and nice for comparisons. A final note, all of the selections on this collection are in stereo.

Whether you are a serious collector of classical music or a beginner, the "Great Conductors of the 20th Century" has something for everyone. If the prized, rare performances don't excite you, then use this as an opportunity to check out one of the greatest conductors ever recorded. Chances are, since stores are offering increasingly homogenized classical music sections, this conductor might not be in your collection. And that would truly be a shame.