Album

No one would deny the beauties of these performances, but no one would assert that these are much more than beautiful performances. Recorded between 1964 and 1982, these are some of the most ravishingly beautiful performances of orchestral favorites by Grieg and Sibelius ever preserved on disc. The splendors of the Berlin Philharmonic are unsurpassed: the richness of the strings, the colors of the winds, the strength and subtlety of the brass, the clarity and power of the percussion. And Karajan's control of the Berlin is unequaled: his legato is perfectly smooth, his textures are perfectly clear, his rhythms are perfectly steady, his dynamics are perfectly managed. But as beautiful as these performances are—and in Deutsche Grammophon's 2003 remasterings, they have never sounded more beautiful—there is still nothing much else in these performances but beauty. Any sense of exhilaration in the outer movements of the Holberg Suite, any sense of mystery in Anitra's Dance, any sense of sorrow in Solveig's Song, any sense of the spiritual in the Andante religioso, any sense of grief in the Valse triste, any sense of terror in Tapiola, or in other words, any sense of anything more than a superlative orchestra and conductor performing virtuoso orchestral music at the peak of their abilities is almost completely lacking.

© James Leonard, All Music Guide

CD 1 of 2
Edvard Grieg Composer Peer Gynt Suite No.1, Op.46 Work Recorded 1971 14:43 Herbert von Karajan Conductor, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
1	1.Morgenstemning (Morning Mood)	4:00			$0.99
2	2.Aases død (The Death of Åse)	4:48			$0.99
3	3.Anitras dans (Anitra's Dance)	3:46			$0.99
4	4.Dovregubbens hall (In the Hall of the Mountain King)	2:09			$0.99
Edvard Grieg Composer Peer Gynt Suite No.2, Op.55 Work Recorded 1971 18:43 Herbert von Karajan Conductor, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
5	1.The Abduction: Ingrid's Lament	4:57			$0.99
6	2.Arabian Dance	4:41			$0.99
7	3.Peer Gynt's Homecoming	2:45			$0.99
8	4.Solveig's Song	6:20			$0.99
Edvard Grieg Composer From Holberg’s Time ('Holberg Suite'), for string orchestra (orchestration of Op.40 for piano) Work Recorded 1981 20:48 Herbert von Karajan Conductor, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
9	1.Prelude	2:56			$0.99
10	2.Sarabande	4:15			$0.99
11	3.Gavotte	3:49			$0.99
12	4.Air	5:51			$0.99
13	5.Rigaudon	3:57			$0.99
Edvard Grieg Composer 3 Orchestral Pieces from Sigurd Jorsalfar, Op.56 Work Recorded 1971 16:47 Herbert von Karajan Conductor, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
14	1.Prelude: In the King's Hall	3:44			$0.99
15	2.Intermezzo: Borghild's Dream	3:18			$0.99
16	3.Hommage March	9:45			$1.49
CD 2 of 2
Jean Sibelius Composer Finlandia, Op.26 Work Recorded 1964 Herbert von Karajan Conductor, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
1	Finlandia, Op.26	9:30			$1.49
Jean Sibelius Composer Kuolema (Death, I), Op.44 Work Recorded 1967 Herbert von Karajan Conductor, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
2	1.Valse triste	6:17			$0.99
Jean Sibelius Composer Lemminkäinen Suite: 4 Legends from the Kalevala, Op.22 Work Recorded 1965 Herbert von Karajan Conductor, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Gerhard Stempnik English Horn
3	3.The Swan of Tuonela	7:47			$1.49
Jean Sibelius Composer Pelléas et Mélisande, Op.46 Work Recorded 1982 31:22 Herbert von Karajan Conductor, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
4	1.At the Castle Gate	5:56			$0.99
5	2.Mélisande	4:13			$0.99
6	2a.At the Seashore	2:43			$0.99
7	3.Spring in the Park	2:43			$0.99
8	4.The Three Blind Sisters	2:26			$0.99
9	5.Pastorale	2:08			$0.99
10	6.Mélisande at the Spinning Wheel	2:02			$0.99
11	7.Entr'acte	2:53			$0.99
12	8.Mélisande's Death	6:18			$0.99
Jean Sibelius Composer Tapiola, Op.112 Work Recorded 1964 Herbert von Karajan Conductor, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
13	Tapiola, Op.112	20:14			$3.49