Track Listing

1. Symphony No. 7 in E major, WAB 107: Allegro moderato
2. Symphony No. 7 in E major, WAB 107: Adagio: Sehr feierlich und sehr langsam
3. Symphony No. 7 in E major, WAB 107: Scherzo: Nicht schnell, Trio: Langsam
4. Symphony No. 7 in E major, WAB 107: Finale: Bewegt, doch nicht zu schnell

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #81382 in Music
• Released on: 1996-07-23
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .21 pounds

Customer Reviews

Bruckner made easy
Karajan ended his recording career with this CD. It is difficult to avoid the easy cliches that come with this comment. I will just say that although Karajan was not one of my favorites, I am more than ready to admit that quite often he reached greatness, and this CD is one of those occasions. This is definitely the best 7th symphony of Bruckner that I have heard. The keen understanding that Karajan had of it, and the magical tool of the Wiener Philharmonic pretty much assures us that it will be a while until anybody comes up with a better interpretation. The 7th is reputedly the "easiest" symphony for the neophyte. I think that perhaps it is the less demanding of them, even the simplest. Too often it is played without much scope. Karajan here shows us that the 7th should not be taken for granted and that it speaks to the deeper recess of our soul as much as its companions. However he does not stop there and he shows us the sunnier aspects of the music of Bruckner, nowhere more apparent than in this work, except perhaps curiously in some passages of the 4th. I would say that the understanding of this balance by Karajan is what makes this recording so great.

Near-death serenity
This symphony opens with one of the most gorgeous passages for cello ever written, and although I am not one to rave on and on about the Vienna Philharmonic, they deliver this magical beginning as well as I've ever heard it. Herbert von Karajan takes his time here, and the orchestra follows suit with a glorious, often magic performance. Although there is no single "right" approach to this music, I confess that I prefer my Bruckner to err slightly on the slow side. The composer's long phrases are so beautiful that it seems like a waste to rush through them, and I like conductors who can linger on the huge paragraphs (and orchestras with the technical prowess to support this approach).

In what would be his last recording, von Karajan seems to have found more quiet mystery here than usual (as in his final Bruckner Eighth, also with Vienna). This is a glowing, serene journey -- different from say, Georg Solti's slightly faster, and more intense version with Chicago. The sound quality is excellent, as well, even if to my ears not quite as ideal as for that Eighth.

As one of Bruckner's most popular works, the Seventh is well-preserved on disc, in a crowded cluster of memorable recordings from many eras. I also admire Christoph von Dohnanyi's beautiful version with the incomparable Cleveland Orchestra, and the aforementioned Solti gives me more pleasure than I might have thought at first. But this final von Karajan breath does seem to have a special aura.

Sublime!
The very last Karajan recordings, like this one, and the last 3rd and 4th Brahms symphonies ( also first released in 1989 ), present a whole new Karajan. Not so ambitious of proving to everybody he's the very best, and not so technical-perfection minded anymore, Karajan lets the music speak for itself, without forcing any extra energy on it, and the result is sheer beauty, of the kind we rarely find in any kind of art work, something that really takes you to other worlds, with mountains of beauty and erupting emotions. And it's a totaly new kind of beauty, not usually found in Karajan's earlier recordings. This recording is invaluable for any music lover, and a must for any Karajan admirer.