Mats Norrman wrote:

>ARG!  And I don't mean "American Record Guide"!  Actually, I have never
>seen any proof for that Karajan was a Nazi, and if someone on the list
>sits on those prooves, bring them out in the light!  ...

If Herr Doktor von Karajan had no affiliation with the Nazi party, please
explain why he had to depend upon Walter Legge to get him a gig after the
war.  There are all kinds of documents to prove that he was a card carrying
member of the party.  If he did it to save his career, then the motives etc
are open for debate.  Please do not quote from books the authors of which
you don't know.  Take the time to go find out before you debunk my comments
with half quotes from alleged sources.

>For "homogenisation" I wan't to say that there used to be other choose of
>words here; equallization, nivellization...and I percieve it as Mr. Sutton
>don't use the word "homogenization" as something positive, and I think he
>actually means that Karajans interpretations are "nivellized", leaves a
>"smoothen out" performance.

Nivellized is a word that I have never heard in 35 years of speaking
English.  Please explain it.

>To this I want to say that I find in my
>collection; completely different interpretations by Karajan, especially
>in the late years this can be found (a result of psychotherapy?:-) There
>is for in stance a Eroice from 1969 that is tremendeosly powerful, without
>being the slightest superficial, and a similar 6 on DGG.  For other works,
>and "smoothing out" is required due to the specific works composition
>technique; the 8th symphony by Beethoven comes quickly to mind.
>Finally Karajans Bruckner 7 (also on DGG) is so outstanding, true a
>"homogenisation" (I don't use the word in the sence I defined for
>Mr.Sutton, ratehr literally) is required in my opinion.  Due to the
>constitution of the work, so simple is that.  For same reasons I san find
>a grain of truth in as Deryk Barker(?) use to say, that Karajan should
>never have been allowed to conduct a Mahler symphony.  But I still like
>his Wagner.

I realize that Mr. Norrman speaks English as a second language and that I
would be helpless in his native tongue, but I have a hard time following
the above comments.  What I meant to say was (and perhaps I didn't say it
well) is that Karajan caused the sound of *other* orchestras to become
homogenized.  Through his myriad recordings and their vast circulation,
orchestras all over the world began to lose their individual and unique
sounds.  I find this to be a shame.  Any record I pick up these days will
have a sound similar to that of the BPO, and Karajan, whether by default
or not is responsible for it.  It just happened that way!

Kevin