Paul Robinson

[thitch]

Hello everyone. I've had a first edition copy of Paul Robinson's "Art of the Conductor: KARAJAN" book in my library since the late 70s. When I first began to seriously get into HvK and his music, I found this volume to be a very good initial source of information - I religiously utilized the discography as a guide to my collecting back in the vinyl days. Since Mr. Robinson is now taking advantage of the Centenary Year as an opportunity to breath a second life into his book, I'm wondering if anyone has or has seen a copy of the new edition; basically, I'm looking for feedback in terms of whether the book has been updated substantially enough to warrant a possible second purchase of the new edition. So far, I've not found it anywhere on-line with current reviews.

Best wishes,

Tim.

[darkehmen]

thitch said:

I'm wondering if anyone has or has seen a copy of the new edition; basically, I'm looking for feedback in terms of whether the book has been updated substantially enough to warrant a possible second purchase of the new edition.

I'd say probably yes. Since I don't have the Hunt books, I've been using Robinson's discography and videography to discover a variety of Karajan recordings that I never knew about. It's probably worth a purchase for that alone.

I don't know what the original edition looked like to compare, but here are a few points. There's a fair-sized picture section, but the images are on the same paper stock as the rest of the book (i.e., not glossy paper), so the reproduction quality is middling.

The new chapters are a mixed lot. "The Final Years" is a rather pessimistic view of Karajan in the '80s, and as I consider this a very fruitful time for the conductor, I can't agree with his rather grim outlook on the era.

"Karajan and the Critics" is a brilliant chapter (presumably new) that tears a strip out of the more absurd criticisms that music writers have launched against the conductor. He both rubbishes the many criticisms based on "value judgments" and "feelings" that critics level (and rightly so -- it's amazing how superficial and meaningless is the writing even of "esteemed" music critics), and he makes a careful analysis of the more substantive critiques, and defends Karajan's approach on musical grounds. It's a solid chapter.

Much of the book comes down to taste, though. Robinson has a bias against the digital recordings, and when he discusses those, I'm left with a sense of bewilderment -- "Have we listened to the same works?" He seems to prefer the older '60s Karajan sound, while for me, those older recordings can sometimes seem a bit muddy, while the digital records are crisp and clear.

More seriously, he rails against the filming style of the Telemondial productions, and there he completely misses the point. The whole excitement of the Telemondial videos comes from the fact that the camera puts the viewer right there in the middle of the orchestra. You get to see the performance from the musicians' own eye-view; you get to see Karajan as his musicians did -- something that you can never experience in the concert hall. Robinson compares this unfavourably to the from-a-distance, overhead style of most concert filming, which he prefers; but for me, that style of filming is no different from what I see when I attend a concert. The Telemondial productions offer a completely more intimate experience. And I don't need to see the face of every musician as he makes his entry. A close-up of the drumsticks rolling on the timpani, or of the bell of a tuba, makes a much more dramatic impression of sound that seeing the musician struggling with his instrument.

So all in all, it's a useful book for the discographies, and it's extremely opinionated otherwise. Depending on whether one shares or rejects Robinson's tastes, the opinion sections can either be enjoyable or annoying. But for having the most current discographies and videographies, the book is probably "worth it."

[thitch]

Thanks for your excellent feedback darkehmen. The discography/videography would be what I'd most be interested in, since the original edition of this book I now have is from 1975. I agree totally with what you say about certain authors' POV as well; The Robinson book may be worth a re-read in the new edition (which I'll now order thanks to your input) to get another overview of his work in totality. Personally, I think it'll be a long time coming before anyone can top Mr. Osborne's book; I found "The Karajan Dossier" to be interesting in dribs and drabs, overall I also enjoyed Roger Vaughan's book ... while I found Bachmann's "Notes on a Career" simply bizarre. Like musical interpretations or taste, authors and their writings are also a subjective thing, it seems.

Best wishes,

Tim.

[darkehmen]

Glad the comments were useful. But I still say, if you're ever looking for a refreshingly positive, sympathetic and genuinely insightful (rather than superficially critical) take on Karajan and his work, try Helena Matheopoulos's Maestro: Encounters with Conductors of Today, which I noted in another thread. I've never read anything on Karajan that even comes close to her three-chapter write up -- and that includes Osborne's books, the bio and the conversations (although I would definitely rate those second).

[thitch]

I look forward to reading the chapters in Helena Matheopoulos's book, which I've ordered as well. Raymond Holden has a volume (The Virtuoso Conductors: The Central European Tradition from Wagner to Karajan) which looks intriguing - although I have not read the book yet personally. Thanks again for your insights.

Tim.

[paulrobinson]

My thanks to all the readers who have commented on my recent Karajan book. I welcome all comments both positive and negative. I would be especially grateful for any corrections to the Discography or Videography. I will be happy to post corrections on my website www.theartoftheconductor.com.

Please check out my website for other Karajan-related information. I will post a special Karajan blog on April 5.

Paul E. Robinson

[Rosy]

Dear Mr. Paul Robinson,

Thanks for his valuable contribution in this Forum dedicated to great Maestro Herbert von Karajan.
Our primary intention is to bring Karajan Musician free of all "orpelli" (uselessness) that have piled up over the years around his figure. This thing sometimes has prevented from fully appreciate the important work of the Maestro.
Indeed, we are interested primarily his artistic contribution to make him known, in our small, to those to wish getting closer to his peculiar way to approaching to the Music.

As you will have notice, his book is included in the Mrs. Linda's Site, related to her Forum.

Unfortunately there isn't traslation in italian language. I've a little familiarity with the English language. If, as my friends forum members they saying, the language is accessible, I would be happy to try to read it!
I'm sorry for my poor word, for my inevitable mistakes!

Very Best Wishes

Rosy