These two performances represent the best and worst of the "Karajan sound". He recorded Bartók's Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta twice with the Berlin Philharmonic--first for EMI (possibly the worst performance ever of the piece), and then again for DG in 1973, at the absolute peak of his form. The string playing here is staggering: rich, dense, legato, and of such intensity that the sheer weight of tone becomes an almost physical pressure. You won't find the savagery of Reiner or Solti (in his first, LSO version) here, but Karajan's approach carries such conviction on its own terms that there's little to criticize. And he is, in any case, totally responsive to the demands of this intricate score: his third movement has the right sense of nocturnal mystery and terror, for example; and just listen to the superb acceleration he makes in the finale's second subject (one of the few conductors to really get this right). No doubt about it--this is great Bartók.

Unfortunately, Stravinsky's Apollo demonstrates just how unsuited Karajan's sonic predilections can be in some music. Where the composer intended lightness and elegance, Karajan offers a heaviness and smoothness that renders such numbers as the Pas de deux uneventful to a fault. He also fails to give the fast music a sharp enough rhythmic profile, a curious fact given his generosity in this regard in the Bartók. In short, this is lovely string playing as such, but it has the same effect as applying a high gloss finish to a piece of antique furniture: it may look prettier on the surface, but its value gets diminished. More's the pity, then, that DG did not choose to remaster for this issue Karajan's Bartók Concerto for Orchestra, another performance of exceptional distinction, and one that comes coupled with the same Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta on DG Galleria. If you can find that issue, grab it! There aren't enough differences, sonically speaking, to make this new release preferable given the older recording's superior musical value. The rating is a blend--the Bartók alone is a 10.

--David Hurwitz