john
Senior Member
Posts: 119
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Post by john on Jul 17, 2009 17:17:08 GMT 1
Hi Rosy, Catalin, Lee and everyone.
The Metamorphosen is great and the Mozart Funeral music is brilliant, I was going to play the the Salzburg 1981 concert of Brahms Violin Concerto and Dvorak 8th this is where Karajan also plays the Mozart in memory of Karl Bohm who had recently died but I decided to play the 2 CD set of Verdi Overtures which get better each time I hear them.
John
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jul 17, 2009 18:57:52 GMT 1
Hi John,
Is your Verdi Overtures cover the one with Verdi with a hat? As you know the same recording with different CD covers yield different sound, so I just want to see.
Thanks.
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Post by Catalin N. R. on Jul 17, 2009 19:16:56 GMT 1
Dear Rosy, John, Lee and all the others,
Thanks for having appreciated my choice. Like in your case too, it was just a symbolic homage paid to the great Karajan. John has also kept alive the memory of Giuseppe Verdi!... I know that Rosy would have listened much more of Karajan's music, but she is always so busy, and this is not her fault.
With best regards, Catalin
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Rosy
Senior Member
Posts: 540
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Post by Rosy on Jul 18, 2009 9:04:25 GMT 1
Catalin, no commitment prevents me to devote at least three hours a day listening to music conducted by Karajan...or sometimes other conductors! ********************** Rosy
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Rosy
Senior Member
Posts: 540
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Post by Rosy on Jul 18, 2009 9:37:10 GMT 1
Hello Tjh, Yesterday, I heard the double CD with Verdi with his inseparable hat, and I must say that the sound is good. Every time I listen to Karajan that performs music by my beloved Giuseppe Verdi, I feel mixed emotions, because the Maestro used nouances that they surprise me, or he expands the tempi, like for example the Overture by la Forza del Destino, especially in the incipit that makes the music particularly dramatic and meditated. ********************** Rosy
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Rosy
Senior Member
Posts: 540
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Post by Rosy on Jul 18, 2009 10:41:45 GMT 1
Concerning the news of the death of the Maestro, I heard it on the radio, like you, then followed lenghty articles in newspapers that I still jealously keep. That day, my desire and my hope to shake his hand and tell him thank you, Maestro, vanished for ever. ********************** Rosy
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john
Senior Member
Posts: 119
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Post by john on Jul 18, 2009 20:50:03 GMT 1
tjh
My Verdi has the painting of a horse and carriage outside La Scala, it reminded me of when I visited the Opera House a few years ago and saw La Boheme, the production was the old Zefferilli one that Karajan used and it was superb. I was thrilled that the great man was in attendance that night and he took a bow, but I felt that the other great man K was also there.
John
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Post by Catalin N. R. on Jul 18, 2009 21:07:43 GMT 1
Dear Rosy, I thought that you had listened only the Masonic Funeral Music, but now I understand: among others. Three hours a day... that sound very well indeed! With kind regards, Catalin
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David
Senior Member
Autograph - obtained by me on 13th June 1977 at the Royal Festival Hall in London
Posts: 100
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Post by David on Jul 29, 2009 20:25:53 GMT 1
John, Lee & Catalin, Many thanks for your mention of the forthcoming Testament releases of the 1972 London concerts. For some reason I don’t seem to have my finger on the pulse just now and so was unaware of these releases until I had read your posts - er, no ageist comments from the gallery here please! Yes Lee, you are correct in saying that I attended these two concerts. In fact 1972 was a great Karajan year for me in that I attended the Easter Festival, these two London concerts and the three Edinburgh concerts. Even though I have no idea what I was doing at this time last week, I still retain some detailed memories from these London concerts 37 years ago: James Galway was playing first flute in the Pastoral although I can’t remember if he was playing after the interval in Heldenleben. It seemed to be the custom in those days for there to be a different wind principal for each half of a concert and so probably he wasn’t playing in Heldenleben. However, very clearly can I remember the superb violin playing of the legendary Schwalbé in Heldenleben. At the end of a concert after Karajan had dismissed the band, the applause would normally fade after perhaps a minute or so. However on this occasion this wasn’t the case and after a couple of minutes or possibly even longer, both Karajan and Schwalbé were eventually forced to return and appeared alone on the empty platform to a level of decibels in applause almost equal to that in the climaxes of Heldenleben - they were great days and I could bore you for hours. In the other 1972 London concert I remember that the bassoonist in the Rite of Spring was Braun (not Piesk). Karl Leister was on the small E-flat clarinet and I very much look forward to hearing again his piercing solo at about two and a half minutes into the piece. James Galway was on piccolo that evening. It would be very interesting to know if a high volume of sales for the releases of the 1985 and 1988 London concerts has prompted Testament to go further and issue these 1972 performances. Hopefully they may continue with Karajan’s next London appearance which was at Ted Heath’s Fanfare for Europe concert on 4th January 1973 in the Albert Hall. However it is possible that one individual may not be too enthusiastic if this were to materialise: Jimmy Galway hit a wrong note in the final movement of the Beethoven 4th that evening! Regards - David Flyer for the 1972 concerts
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lee
Senior Member
Posts: 187
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Post by lee on Jul 30, 2009 21:44:42 GMT 1
Hi David
How nice to hear from you again and hope that you are well.
Thank you for sharing your memories of 1972 with us - of course I'm extremely jealous !! Looking at the flyer, am I correct in thinking that £5.50 would have been quite a bit to pay for a full priced seat at the RFH in 1972? At his last concert in 1988, the full priced seats were £85 - they are only £45 today ! Of course, Salzburg in 1972 would have been Tristan; apparently Dernesch was ill during these run of performances, not ideal one would have thought with this of all roles - what do you remember David ?
That said, agree with your comments about the sales figures for last year's live Karajan releases from Testament - speaking personally, they have been a revelation for me, and I was there !!
With warmest regards, Lee
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john
Senior Member
Posts: 119
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Post by john on Aug 6, 2009 22:20:00 GMT 1
David
It is always a pleasure to read your very interesting memories of the concerts you have attended, I also find your knowledge and appreciation of the individual members of the Berlin Philharmonic incredible.
Whilst on the subject of memories, It is well worth all members having a look at the visitor comments section on the main website page, John Hunt has added a number of additions to his already superb reminicenses of Karajan. These are not only interesting but are in my opinion historically informative. Furthermore it would be nice to see some new comments from other members who have not yet subscribed to this particular page together with a photo.
John
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David
Senior Member
Autograph - obtained by me on 13th June 1977 at the Royal Festival Hall in London
Posts: 100
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Post by David on Aug 19, 2009 14:35:21 GMT 1
Hello Lee,
Many thanks for your reply and I hope that all is well with you and yours. Humble apologies (again) for my delayed response.
Helga Dernesch! Yes, a very interesting point you have made here in connection with the 1972 Easter Festival Tristan. I attended the last of the three performances and can’t really remember being aware that Dernesch was struggling until the Liebestod where she most definitely appeared to be shot, for want of a better word, and unable to project adequately in those final wonderful passages.
I had assumed that this was possibly how it could be in a ‘live’ Tristan; similar in a way I suppose to your normally super-fit footballer, visibly struggling in the final stages of extra time in an important match.
However I was unaware of the real reason for her problems until thirty years after the event when I read Richard Osborne’s ’A Life in Music’ for the first time about eight years ago. RO mentions Dernesch’s illness and that she ‘sank beneath the billows in the Liebestod’ - a much more subtle and poetic description than mine I think!
As already mentioned I attended the final Tristan performance in 1972 and so it is quite likely that Dernesch could have been even more drained at this stage although I have to say that as far as I can remember there was no adverse reaction from the audience at the end of the performance. Possibly this was out of respect for Dernesch and/or Karajan, or possibly the situation had been publicised beforehand (although if so I had missed it) and it was decided to take a chance and proceed, rather than cancel the performances - I really don’t know. I do think though that audience reaction would have been quite different in a similar situation at a place like Bayreuth for example, illness or no illness.
Richard Osborne goes on to mention that Dernesch had cancelled her appearances in Scottish Opera’s ‘Ring’ in December 1971 because of the illness. What he didn’t mention, although it wasn’t necessary in his thread, was that Dernesch did sing Brünnhilde in three performances of Die Walküre at the 1971 Edinburgh Festival in the King’s Theatre.
Having heard her in Fidelio at the 1971 Easter Festival and already applied for 1972 Easter Festival tickets, I decided to go to Edinburgh specifically to hear this. A trip to Edinburgh is never a hardship for me anyway; I love the place. I thought that her Brünnhilde on this occasion was outstanding and superbly secure in the top range etc. etc. - definitely no sign of illness in August 1971. However whether Wagner should have been presented in the very cramped King’s Theatre with a tiny pit with room for only two basses is another topic entirely.
So it was a great shame about the Easter 1972 blip but I still personally prefer Dernesch’s timbre to Crespin’s in the role of Brünnhilde. What do you think?
Your comment about the ticket prices for the 1972 RFH London concerts is interesting. Thirty seven years ago I think that an average weekly wage would possibly have been in the region of £30+ and so £5-50 was still quite high. I have always made a habit of keeping my programmes and ticket stubs so that I can now see that I paid £3-50 for the terrace, row D at each of the 1972 London concerts and the programmes were 15p. My ticket for the Edinburgh Walküre cost £2.
Just as an aside and whilst on the subject of money, I can clearly remember being ribbed by colleagues when I told them that the cost of my short week to Salzburg at Easter in 1972 had been about £120 inclusive of everything. This was at a time when the vehicle I used was a very old grey Austin A35 van for which I had paid £70 !
Priorities! Priorities! I said, but I don’t think that they really understood.
Very best wishes - David
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