Search - Jubilee Concert 100 Years - Ludwig Van Beethoven - Symphony No. 3 "Eroica" on DVD

Poor value, but a great performance

Michael Madden | Australia | 02/15/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"SONY has decided quite arbitrarily to rip-off Karajan followers by allocating quite short works to this series which offers concerts by the maestro mainly from the 80's. The EROICA is under an hour in length, and dvd's are known to have a potential playing length well in excess of that. Issued at the same time as this, SONY has released PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION, a work which would have fitted nicely onto the end of the EROICA ( those works have nothing in common, but who cares!)
The performance itself ? Nothing short of revelatory. You are not likely to see or hear a reading of the tragic slow movement which digs as deeply as this one. Karajan and his orchestra present a very profound experience ; the visual aspect of the performance helps us to see the emotion being poured into this sublime movement, and the intense response from the players. The first movement doesn't exactly ignite initially, but it soon gathers steam, and the Karajan charisma settles in for a coda which blazes its way to the final chords. The third and fourth movements are beautifully played, too.
I have the impression this performance was not manipulated as much as the others in this series. Karajan's directorial style leaves much to be desired at times, with rows of musicians lined up as if marching to his beat ( the lighting in some of these videos is bizarre). However, the Eroica is different : much more enjoyable.
I cannot recommend this dvd enough. It will offer the viewer/listener a deep and lasting reading of this magnificent work."