Kevin Sutton <[log in to unmask]> nukes us:

>Karajan: Doubtless a fine musician and master conductor, but his
>homogeneity of sound may have done the music world more harm than good.
>I don't much care about his political controversies, although I would be
>against anything to do with Nazism.  Have enjoyed many of his recordings.

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!  Now!  Else I tempted
to belive that the Karajanprotonazirubbish comes from the fictional book
by someone Morris or Harris, I don't remember the name exactly, with the
title "Vaterland", which is a fictional story about what had happened if
Hitler had won the WWII.  In that book Karajan is a nazi and conducts a
performance of Beethovens 9 on the Fuehrers 75th birthday etc.  But again;
if anyone has any real evidence for Karajan was a nazi, I would like to
hear them.

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.  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.

Mats Norrman
[log in to unmask]