D. Stephen Heersink wrote:

>Ordinarily, I don't associate von Karajan with Schubert, but von Karajan
>and the Berlin Philharmonic did a complete cycle for EMI (and may have done
>one with DG as well, but I don't have the Schwann).  I looked for reviews
>in back issues of ARG, but they only go to 1994.  So my question is this:
>Is *this Schubert any good?

I have Karajan's Schubert on CD.  Not bad at all, sort of like the 1963
Beethovens in that each is a complete set that you can't really take
exception to.  As far as the Schubert goes, I also have the Marriner,
also not bad, and a superb orchestra.  And you get some quite eccentric
incomplete stuff as extras.  And Sawallich (sp?) is even better, but I
have that set only on cassette.  I also have an old LP set of Denis Vaughn
and an Italian orchestra which has always pleased me.  Like the Marriner,
he attempted to complete the Unfinished.  Also he, upon restudy of the
manuscripts, rescored here and there, most noticeably in the 9th 1st mvt
where he contended that in the first theme notes 5 and 6 were intended to
be dotted:  instead of daa daa he interpreted it as da daaa.  I hope this
pathetic attempt at notation via keyboard makes sense.  Anyway, it was
interesting to hear (although I am not convinced), and Vaughn's notes are
marvelous to read.

Bill S