| Royal Classics |  |
| Disc No: ROY6473 | |
| Price: Sek. 51 |
Herbert von Karajan's death on 16 July 1989 brought to an end a long and distinguished conducting career. His catholic musical sympathies are evident from this concert, which ranges through the Baroque, Classical and Romantic repertoire. Mozart's Eine kleine Nachtmusik is a miniature symphony, lacking only wind parts and expanded length to allow it entry into that category. That Mozart could embrace works of any dimension is proved by the perfection of everything from his operas, through the reduced scale of such pieces as this, to the fine miniature Sleighride dance, composed in 1791. Sir Hamilton Harty's arrangement (1930) of part of Handel's Water Music may introduce gestures and instruments Handel would not have recognised but it reflects the grandeur he envisaged for the royal party on the Tharnes in 1717. Another work with river associations is Smetana's Vltava. The music traces the river from its two tiny sources, through the Bohemian countryside, past a village festival and high cliffs, over turbulent rapids and, majestically, through Prague on its northward journey. Weber's Invitation to the Dance for piano is more urbane, especially in this splendid Berlioz orchestration. The gentleman invites the lady to waltz with him and afterwards escorts her gallantly to her chair. This work is known as a 'clap-trap' because, as the waltz comes to an end, the audience is tricked into applauding, not realising that the final 'escort scene' is still to come. Berlioz's own Royal Hunt and Storm from his opera The Trojans possesses a title that needs no elucidation but the work illustrates the composer's amazing grasp of orchestral resources. As a concert work separate from the opera it is a favourite with many conductors, and Karajan's performance is amongst the finest. Waldteufel's famous Waltz Les Patineurs ('The Skaters') makes an appropriately light-hearted finale to this concert. Robert Dearling. Discontinued |
| Name: Karajan conducts Orchestral Favourites 1 | |
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| Composer | Opus | Produced | Music | Key | Performer |
| Handel, George Fridrich | 1959 | Water Music | Wiener Philharmoniker - Herbert von Karajan | ||
| Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | K.525 | 1959 | Eine kleine Nachtmusik | ||
| Smetana, Bedrich | 1958 | Vltava ( Die Moldau) 'Ma V'last', no. 2 | |||
| Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | K.605 | 1960 | 3 German Dances - Sleigh ride | ||
| Berlioz, Hector | 1959 | Les Troyenes - Royal hunt and storm | Philharmonia Orchestra - Herbert von Karajan | ||
| Waldteufel, Emil | Op.183 | 1960 | Les Patineures - Valse | ||
| Weber, Carl Maria von | 1958 | Invitation to Dance |