Sibelius, Jean:
Finlandia, Op. 26; The Swan of Tuonela,
Op. 22, No. 2;
Valse Triste, Op. 44; Tapiola,
Op. 112.
Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan, Conductor
Deutsche
Grammophon 413-755-2 (Digital Stereo). Released 1984.
I have never liked Herbert von Karajan. And, not just because he was one of those Nazis in the musical biz who opted to stay in Hitler's Third Reich (true, he was pretty much non-political, but the fact remains that he used the party as a tool towards furthering his musical career; compare to Arturo Toscanini's stand of courage in refusing to collaborate with the Fascisti in Italy, and openly defying Mussolini's henchmen on Italian soil before expatriating himself to America. Yes, von Karajan used politics as a vehicle. Anyone who's ever seen All About Eve knows what this is called: "Climbing over corpses on the way to the top." Tragically, unlike in Anne Baxter's case, the 7 million corpses in von Karajan's rise to stardom weren't figurative.) The reason why I truly dislike him because he was probably the second most overblown, over-hyped and overrated conductor of all time (Leonard Bernstein wins first prize hands down). The only lasting legacy for which I'll credit von Karajan was introducing the world to the beautiful violin playing of Anne-Sophie Mutter and the conducting of Mariss Jansons.
I have heard many of Karajan's recordings, and I just don't understand what all the fuss is about; He tended to beat a mechanical tempo, was often more antiseptic than Lysol, and his execution at times downright sloppy. I have only one recording by him that I actually like, and don't wince while listening to (Tchaikovsky's Pathetique Symphony with the Vienna Philharmonic, Columbia Masterworks, ML-4299, mono). He was one of those overemotional conductors, very concerned with his hands fluttering aloft like seagulls, his eyes always closed like he was in some kind of trance or sexual ecstasy (compare this to Toscanini, who communicated to the orchestra his will so directly with those intense, fiery eyes). So, when I read in some alleged arbiter of musical taste, one of those audiophile review magazines, that Karajan was some kind of Sibelius expert, I just had to go out and find out what the big deal was.
With bated breath, I put this CD on the platter. Listening to the opening piece, Finlandia, was like viewing a Rembrandt painting. Painting by-the-numbers, that is.
Imagine, if you will, a Finlandia without power, dragging along at the speed of the little train that could. Imagine a Swan of Tuonela with all the grace of a half-deflated rubber duck in the bathtub. Envision a Valse Triste which, like its subject, is dead, but has no dreamy afterlife, or a Tapiola, whose tonal portrait of the Finnish forest god Tapio is so drab and lifeless that it could be used as state's evidence to prove Nietzsche's allegation that God is dead (excuse the mixed metaphor).
So much for Herbert von Karajan's "authoritative" reading of Sibelius. This small collection has all the inspiration of a Madelyn Murray O'Hair rally.
To sum up: Skip this one. If you want to hear a top-notch collection of Sibelius' tone poems, try one of the Beecham or Ormandy recordings.
