5th April 2008, Herbert von karajan Centenary

[Rosy]

I never imagined or hoped I would have to share this day with dear friends, members of this Forum, who have my own convinction regarding the musical interpretation. Although we are physically distant, and we can not speak, the bond that unites us is stronger. We have begun more two months ago, and that will continue more and more numerous, thanks to new welcome members! Many people say that Herbert von Karajan is, along with Arturo Toscanini, the greatest conductor of all time. Surely, with his extraordinary talent, his passion, his incessant study, his experiments, he has left a mark, has opened a new way in musical interpretation. Above all, I want to thank him deeply for the boundless amount of engravings that he left us, so now we can check validity of his musical Idea: respect for the score, the deep knowledge of the composer, his dynamic reading, all to achieve his desired Idea of beauty. We cannot fully share his point of view, but one thing is certain: his Idea of beauty is beyond time! The result, which is most important, fully satisfy our desire to feel something immeasurable beautiful.

Thank you, dear Maestro

and Happy Birthday!

[stuartg]

Rosy,

molto grazie per a lovely birthday message that says it all!

I was sad today because I realised that there is no-one who can replace him. But we have his legacy!

As I write I am listening to 'Cavelleria Rusticana', la Scala 1965, DG Originals.

Tomorrow it'll all be Bruckner, Wagner, Brahms, Schuman, Haydn, Mozart and of course Beethoven!

What a legacy!

Happy Birthday Maestro!

Stuart

[David]

Thank you for your nice words Rosy.

An interesting page has appeared on the National Public Radio site within the last few hours to coincide with the Centenary, where Richard Osborne selects his top five Karajan recordings. Richard Osborne is of course Karajan's biographer and the author of Conversations with Karajan; he has also made contributions to Linda’s site.

www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89146879

The NPR page contains excerpts from the five recordings totalling 45 minutes which will be useful for anyone not familiar with any of the selections. Of particular interest to me is the 1966 recording of Die Walküre; it is now exactly 40 years to within five days since I saw Karajan’s production at the second Easter Festival. This was of course with the BPO and the same soloists as in the 1966 recording.

Best Wishes to all on this special day.

[~Linda~]

Happy Birthday Maestro and thank you for opening the door to classical music for me and in doing so bringing me years of great listening pleasure.

Thank you David for your National Public Radio link. I have just finished listening to the Sibelius Symphony No 5 extract, one of my personal favourites as to me the rhythmic drive at this point in the symphony is not only heard but also "felt" deep inside. Wonderful!

Linda

[Rosy]

Thank you David!

Today, which is a day full of meanings especially emotional, we listened to the music together of our beloved Herbert von Karajan

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N.B. I listened carefully and with great pleasure Sibelius No 5 Symphony extract, because it's one of Symphony favoured by Linda!

Rosy

[lee]

Thank you Rosy for your thoughful posting. Yes, today is special and I am grateful to the Maestro for the tremendous legacy he has left us in the form of recordings and films. I also consider myself very lucky that thanks to his indomitable spirit, I was able to see Karajan and the Berlin PO perform in London on the occasion of their last three visits; a triumph of the spirit over the flesh.
David, your radio link is most interesting; I do not know how you are able to ferret all these bits of information out and am once again lost in admiration.

With kind regards to all

Lee

[john]

Thanks to all members for sharing your thoughts on this special day.

Special thanks to Linda for producing this website, any of course thanks many times over to Herbert von Karajan for making wonderful music for us that will live forever.

John

[Rosy]

Dear Lee,

You are very, very lucky! As I've already written, in 70 years, when I was 13 or 14 years old, I went to Milan. I didn't want to attend Karajan's interpretations, because I thought it was too soon to get on those hight peaks!!!

Maybe I thought he was etenal! (Yes, he's eternal in another way...)

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The memory of those incredible performances will be always in your heart! ( every time I read with great emotion that your post...)

Ciao, Lee

Rosy

[Rosy]

Dear Alexander,

I like your exuberance! I've learned to recognize your "style". Start: Forte, then : Mezzo Forte, Final: PPP ! ( deep!).

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Yes, the words, especially those you mention, have lost their meaning. The are often used inappropriately. Not in our case. Not us!

N.B. Alex, I work today and I'll work tomorrow, because I'm shift worker...

Ciao

Rosy

[thitch]

As I'm writing this, there are still nine hours to go in the Maestro's birthday (April 5'th) in my part of the world.

I wanted to express my appreciation once again, to Linda, for having the site up and running, and to those who posted feedback to my previous blurb about "Karajan: A Mentor in Life." I was hoping "Beauty As I See It" would be in my hands in time for today, but it was not to be. Consequently, I've been looking over some of the Karajan documentaries that I do own - another showing of Maestro! Maestro! and "Karajan in Salzburg", which I have to admit this time left me feeling a little melancholy. So I'm wrapping up the day and evening with some Late Karajan recordings, the digital Mozart Requiem from 1987 and the Wagner set from Salzburg with Jessye Norman.

I'll be toasting the Maestro a bit later this evening with a showing of the Telemondial Bruckner 8'th film.

As an interesting side-note, I'm going to wrap up the evening with a look at the Stanley Kubrick film BARRY LYNDON; according to the January Gramophone (whose coverage in no less than a Centenary Year left me somewhat deflated) this film - at least according to Glotz - " ... corresponded to his idea of beauty." Since it was one of his favorite films, I thought I'd include it in my own program this evening to get an idea of what he was attracted to about it. Gramophone's inclusion of the "Karajan in Conversation" CD did at least offer me some interesting insights into K's staging and recording of Wagner, so that it - and the cover photo - at least didn't make the issue a complete write-off.

One other DVD I watched this week also, was a Euro-Arts production of "The Berlin Philharmonic Story" which gives some idea of how Karajan's influence, although certainly acknowledged, seems to be relegated to the past with the direction the orchestra is now taking under new managers.

Karajan was (and to my taste still is) a great conductor; more importantly perhaps, is that he was successful, a level of success and influence I believe, no one else will be able to achieve, and this success of course, continues to be grist for the mill with his detractors. Because of this, I think we should show a certain level of gratitude for having had an artist of this calibre in our presence.

With best wishes for this particular day, and the rest of the Centennial Year!

Tim.

[Rosy]

5 April 1908 - 5 April 2008
Happy Centenary, Maestro

This special day is over. I'm happy to have been passed along to you, dear friends, members of this beautiful place created by Linda, which goes my heartfelt thanks! Today I felt you very close and incredibly united by love for Music and for an extraordinary musician, Herbert von Karajan. Our job is to make known the work of the Maestro and his desire: to make people happy with the Music! I'm deeply convinced of the beneficial power of this sublime Art. I would not conceive my life without Music. This sentence has been pronounced by Herbert von Karajan, even for me so. My hope is to continue this journey into the Music with you, dear friends!

with love, for you, dear Maestro!

[stuartg]

Dear Rosy,

What a wonderfull sentiment you refer to. Yes, let's all continue this musical journey together.

Like you, I do believe a life without music is poor; but, we are fortunate, we have this astounding legacy.

This monumental day is over but, with thanks to Linda's fantastic site we can continue this marvelous journey together.

Stuart

[Rosy]

To Prahcello:

My personal opinion: I feel sad to read subjects not relevant to the spirit of this thread, which is mean to be a tribute to the Maestro. Perhaps, the exchange of views were made in appropriate thread.

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Yesterday, probably for the first time, we were able to stay together. That is why it's has been a very special day, full of meaning but detached from any position. I could be agree with was written, but it is -perhaps- wrong place!

Forgive me, I repeat, it's only my personal opinion.

Rosy

[prahcello]

You're right, I deleted my comment now.

Paul

[Rosy]

Thank you very much, Paul,

Your post is right if placed in other context.

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Ciao

Rosy