About this Artist

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Editorial Reviews

This Opus Kura disc is essentially a digitally remastered re-release of an 11-track monaural LP called Opera Intermezzi recorded by Herbert von Karajan and the Philharmonia Orchestra in 1954 interspersed with three tracks recorded by the same forces in 1953 and 1955: the overtures to Humperdinck's "Hansel und Gretel," Johann Strauss' "The Gypsy Baron," and Johann Strauss II's "Die Fledermaus." At the first flush of his postwar success, Karajan is more flexible and more collegial than he later became and the performances here have a lightness and spontaneity to them that his later recordings of these same works cannot match. And yet Karajan is still Karajan. The tone of the Philharmonia, one of the greatest studio orchestras ever assembled, is clear and colorful, but with the emphasis on beauty that was always a hallmark of the conductor's style, and the overall impression here is of a lush and opulent surface supremely well executed. This approach serves the repertoire well, and each work from the ethereal "Meditation from Thaďs" to the expressive Prelude to Act III from "La Traviata" is immensely attractive. For some, Opus Kura's sound will have been superbly remastered with a richer sound than the originals. For others, the sound will be lacking in presence and immediacy. James Leonard, All Music Guide

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