Easter Festival

Glad to hear that "the orchestra played gloriously," as in their recent visit to Carnegie Hall they remained incredibly accurate and polished, as under von Karajan and Abbado, but in the two concerts I heard under Rattle they seemed more "British"-the dark richness of sound and incredible focus and concentration under the previous two conductors was clearly gone, replaced by Berlin "lite." Rattle's interpretation were clear but left everything a bit cold, perhaps more representative of clipped British style than the earlier central European or passionate Italian directors.

I did hear them under von Karajan, and how anyone can not say that he was "great" belies the imagination. Even if you disagreed with his interpretation, the magnificent rich sound of the orchestra, the precision of the playing, the silence between phrases (any orchestra can start together-it is rare that they can finish notes so simultaneously that the very silence between clarifies the sound) the intense concentration of every individual orchestra member, which focused the attention of the audience, the sense that every player knew the entire score and was attending to each other's parts-so that when phrase passed from one section to another the blend was so perfect it was startling to realize that no longer were the strings playing, it was now the woodwinds, or the horns, or the trumpets.

This intensity was present in the 20th century only in the NBC under Arturo Toscanini-the alertness of the strings under von Karajan and Toscanini can be compared in the old kinescopes of the NBC.

This magnificent ensemble playing and sound is no longer present under Rattle-so we must credit von Karajan for its presence, and Abbado for continuing it and adding his Italian warmth.

I think he's a bit better than you seem to, in Bruckner especially. But I do think the current attention being paid him just now is a centenary bubble.

Yes,some snooty English critics have
been using the Karajan centennial as an
excuse to belittle him,but the fact remains
that Karajan was a very great conductor;not
perfect,but what conductor ever has been?
I never heard hin conduct live,but he has
left some truly magnificent recordings.
Karajan could be absolutely enthralling
in composers such as Wagner,Bruckner and
Richard Strauss,and some of his recordings
of Italian operas are revelatory.

Where do you think von Karajan ranks now? I read a recent piece (I think in the Guardian or Telegraph) that dismissed him as a second-rater whose star had dimmed considerably since his death. Yes he was popular and sold a lot of records, but I have to admit, listening to some of those recordings now, I can' say they're all that good. They certainly don't rise to the level of the best.

Is there any sense in Germany now, do you think, of a reappraisal of his work, his legacy? Seems like now's as good a time as any...