Ever since hearing him for the first time, Herbert von Karajan has been kind of anathema for me. I’m pottery sure it was the way a particular piece was performed, that didn’t do him any favors in my book. I don’t remember which piece it was, but I do remember I found it too slow. With the benefits of being able to compare using streaming services, and my own collection, I can put his style into better perspective. He belongs to a golden age of classical performance. He was never part of the hipster movement of the historical informed.
Because he is such a larger than life figure, in the last couple of years I checked out his Beethoven performances. He is totally in his element there. He creates a full orchestra sound that is unrivaled. However, with more modern material, where punchy rhythms matter: not so much. The beauty of the legato tone, the luscious velvet of his strings, the perfect balance in the wind sections, it is all a bit too polished for an aggressive composition like this.