What follows is not a discography; it is merely a list of recordings that I believe should be in the collection of every Kleiber admirer. Both the CDs and the DVDs are listed in chronological order.
CDs
Weber, Carl Maria von: Der Freischütz (DG, 1973)
This is a superb recording of Weber’s influential opera, with Carlos leading the Staatskapelle Dresden. In addition, Kleiber fans should view the remarkable 1970 video (see first DVD below) of Carlos rehearsing the Südfunk-Sinfonieorchester for a performance of the overture to this work. The video, in black and white, has quite good monaural sound. It is an important historical document that greatly illuminates Kleiber’s approach to conducting.
Beethoven, Ludwig van: Symphony # 5 and Symphony # 7 (DG, 1975/1976)
The orchestra in these performances, as well as in those in the following two CDs, is the Wiener Philharmoniker. This CD contains the celebrated 1975 recording of Kleiber directing Beethoven’s 5th. (There is a low-quality DVD transfer of the Mexican television broadcast of Carlos and the Wiener Philharmoniker performing this work in Guanajuato on its 1981 Mexico tour. However, this CD contains, to the best of my knowledge, the only ‘studio’ recording of Beethoven’s 5th that Carlos ever made.) Of this recording of the 5th, Michael Walsh wrote, “Kleiber fashioned a performance that unfolded with the clarity of a Euclidean proposition, yet had the intensity of a hammer blow. Hailed as a revelation, it was, more accurately, a literal re-creation of what the composer put down on paper: it was as if Homer had come back to recite the Iliad.” This CD also contains the esteemed 1976 recording of Beethoven’s 7th.
Verdi, Giuseppe: Otello (Opera d’Oro, 2002)
This CD contains the legendary performance of Verdi’s “Otello” performed at La Scala on December 7, 1976, with Placido Domingo as Otello, Mirella Freni as Desdemona, and Piero Cappucchilli as Iago. The audio quality here is fair, being drawn from a radio broadcast. However, this CD is a remastered version of the original, at least it is advertised as such. The three lead singers are superb and Carlos’ conducting is nothing less than spectacular, from the tumultuous start — the first note almost knocked me out of my chair — to the sublimely tragic finish.
Verdi, Giuseppe: La Traviata (DG, 1978)
Carlos recorded this studio performance in 1976-77. It features Ileana Cotrubas as Violetta, Placido Domingo as Alfredo, Sherrill Milnes as Giorgio, and the Bayerisches Staatsorchester.
Schubert, Franz: Symphony # 3 and Symphony # 8 (DG, 1979)
While the performance of Symphony #3 is crisp and lively, the highlight here is a very dramatic performance of Symphony #8 (“The Unfinished”). The first time I listened to this CD it was as if I were hearing this familiar work for the first time. Of this recording of the 8th, Richard Osborne wrote, “The genius of Kleiber’s performance is his willingness to characterize both the music’s profound melancholy and its bustling energy: in other words, to sense its physical chronology and its spiritual one.”
Brahms, Johannes: Symphony # 4 (DG, 1981)
This is one of the best and most highly regarded recordings of Brahms’ 4th ever made. The Wiener Philharmoniker plays flawlessly throughout and the performance has considerable power. Indeed, for Andrew Clements, “Carlos Kleiber’s 1980 version with the Vienna Philharmonic generates more adrenalin than any other symphonic recording I know.” However, while I am fond of this recording, I prefer the October 1996 performance in München with the Bayerisches Staatsorchester, on DVD (see below). It is edgier and the video dimension adds much to the experience.
Wagner, Richard: Tristan und Isolde (DG, 1982)
Made between 1980 and 1982, this recording features Margaret Price as Isolde and Rene Kollo as Tristan. Carlos directs the Rundfunkchor Leipzig and the Staatskapelle Dresden.
Beethoven, Ludwig van: Symphony # 4 (Orfeo, 1982)
The orchestra in this performance, as well as on the following two CDs, is Carlos’ beloved Bayerisches Staatsorchester. The tempi here (and in the following CD) are comparable to those in the 1983 Concertgebouw concert (see the third DVD below).
The enclosed booklet for this CD contains a revealing quote from Carlos about the release of the recording. My translation from the German follows:
“For me, the ‘release’ is usually a horror. But the playing of the Bavarian State Orchestra made the release of this recording a thoroughly personal pleasure. We neither could nor wanted to make even the slightest corrections or to apply any cosmetics to this ‘snapshot’ of a performance. For all Beckmessers we have an alibi: a benefit publication and live recording for the Prince Regent Theater. However, for those who can hear liveliness, there are things in there that no other orchestra plays for you so freshly and full of relish, or in such an inspired and pleasing fashion, as this orchestra on that day.”
Beethoven, Ludwig van: Symphony # 7 (Orfeo, 1982)
Whereas the famous Amsterdam Concertgebouw performance of Carlos conducting Beethoven’s 7th took place in October 1983, this performance, with the Bayerisches Staatsorchester, occurred in München in May 1982 at the National Theater. For the most part, the tempi in these two performances are comparable, the exception being the third movement. In the München performance it lasts 8:23, in Amsterdam’s 7:50. The performances are also comparable, although the München audience seems to react more fervently than their Amsterdam counterparts. The sound quality of the DVD seems to these ears to be more well rounded, with the treble frequencies being less dominant than they are on this CD. Both performances are superb, but the added visual dimension gives the nod to the Philips DVD over the Orfeo CD.
Beethoven, Ludwig van: Symphony # 6 (Orfeo, 1983)
This is the only known recording of Carlos Kleiber conducting Beethoven’s “Pastoral Symphony.” The famous storm episode is extremely powerful and persuasive. The astonished silence at the end of the performance is followed by four minutes of tumultuous applause. Memorable.
DVDs
Carlos Kleiber: Rehearsal and Performance (TDK, 1970)
This is a 1970 video recording — reissued in 2007 — of Carlos rehearsing and conducting the Südfunk-Sinfonieorchester in Weber’s “Der Freischütz” overtüre and Johann Strauss II’s “Die Fledermaus” overtüre at Stuttgart’s Villa Berg. It has enormous value as an historical document since it sheds bright light on Carlos’ distinctive approach to conducting. To be blunt: this DVD is a revelation of major proportions. Besides showing how Carlos went about working up a piece in rehearsal, it also offers a window on his complex psyche. If one listens carefully all the way through the rehearsal sections, one learns much about CK: his lightning fast mind, his fertile imagination, his astonishing ability to think on his feet and express himself clearly and persuasively, the low opinions he had of various aspects of life in contemporary society, the purity of his commitment to making great music, his self-effacing sense of humor, etc. It is remarkable to see the transformations undergone by both pieces being rehearsed, as well as the changes in the faces of the musicians. Their faces start to reflect the joy many of them came to feel in playing these works with Carlos. Even the way they look at and react to him changes over the course of the rehearsal. Finally, the quality of the two formal performances shows how far Carlos had brought the orchestra through rehearsals; like night and day. A ‘must have’ for all Carlos Kleiber admirers.
Bizet, Georges: Carmen (TDK, 1978)
This is a live recording of a performance at the Wiener Staatsoper on December 9, 1978. Elena Obraztsova as Carmen and Placido Domingo as Don José. Directed by Franco Zeffirelli. The first five minutes of Act II (50:26 to 55:48) are spectacular – note the fervent audience response — and the Entr’acte between Acts II and III is sublime. Domingo is excellent throughout.
Strauss, Richard: Der Rosenkavalier (DG, 1979)
This is also a live recording. The performances took place on May 5 and 6, 1979 at the National Theater in München. Gwyneth Jones, Brigitte Fassbaender, and Lucia Popp sing the roles of the Marshallin, Octavian, and Sophie, and the orchestra is the Bayerisches Staatsorchester. All things considered, this performance is preferable to the 1994 Vienna performance of Der Rosenkavalier, although each has its own merits.
Beethoven, Ludwig van: Symphony # 4 and Symphony # 7 (Philips, 1983)
This is a live recording of Carlos directing the Concertgebouw Orchester of Amsterdam in brlliant performances of what seem to have been his two favorite Beethoven symphonies. This DVD caused me to reconsider my assessment of the 4th. I now believe it to be among Beethoven’s symphonies of the first rank. The articulation by the first violins in the last movement of the 4th is impressive. In the last movement of the 7th, we see, among other things, Carlos pointing to his ear and tilting his head to let a player know that he had not gotten exactly what he wanted, and, later in the movement, standing completely still, arms by his side, for 4 seconds. (See “Kleiber Moments,” #2 and #5.) At the end of the performance of the 7th, several members of the string section take out their handkerchiefs to wipe their sweating brows. They had just been “pushed” by Carlos, perhaps as never before when performing this work.
Strauss, Johann: Die Fledermaus (DG, 1987)
This is a live recording made in 1986 at Munich’s Nationaltheater, with Eberhard Wächter, Brigitte Fassbaender, Pamela Coburn, and Janet Perry as Eisenstein, Prince Orlofsky, Rosalinde, and Adele. The orchestra is the Bayerisches Staatsorchester. During the overture, note the rose on the untouched score on the podium. The mystery remains: who put it there? This is a charming, humorous performance. One highlight comes toward the end of Act II, with “Brüderlein, Brüderlein, Schwesterlein” followed immediately by the rousing polka, “Unter Donner und Blitz.” The extended shots of Carlos in the pit conducting “Brüderlein” with great emotion suggest that he was extremely fond of that piece. Note also that on two occasions during this performance, Carlos seems to have been in pain: at the end of “Unter Donner und Blitz” and during his curtain call, when he picked up a tossed bouquet.
Kleiber fans should also view the revealing 1970 video (see first DVD above) of Carlos rehearsing the Südfunk-Sinfonieorchester for a performance of the overture to “Die Fledermaus.”
Neujahrskonzert 1989 (DG, 1989)
The orchestra is, of course, the Wiener Philharmoniker. Among my favorite pieces on the 1989 New Year’s Concert program are “Accelerationen,” “Bauern Polka,” and “Künstlerleben.” Note the bulging veins in Carlos’ forehead as he brings the latter piece to a conclusion.
Neujahrskonzert 1992 (DG, 1992)
Once again, the orchestra is the Wiener Philharmoniker. Among my favorite pieces in the 1992 New Year’s Concert program are “Stadt und Land” (with its splendid rubati), “Feuerfest,” and “Der Zigeunerbaron” Ouvertüre. Carlos’ feline athleticism in the opening few measures of the latter is striking.
One noteworthy feature of the 1992 concert is the fact that the concertmaster was the beloved Gerhart Hetzel, who died later that year from injuries caused by a fall during a hiking expedition. One is struck by the warm interaction throughout between Carlos and Gerhart. At the end of the concert, when Carlos comes out for his third bow, Gerhart refuses to have the orchestra stand at Carlos’ behest, and refuses to be taken in by Carlos’ usual trick of trying to shake hands with the concertmaster so that the orchestra will rise and share the applause. Gerhart wanted Carlos to receive all the applause at that juncture. Note that, at the conclusion of traditional “Radetzky-Marsch,” Carlos turns halfway around and gives the audience a discreet ‘A-OK’ sign to commend it for the quality of its clapping accompaniment. Finally, after the “Radetzky,” it is remarkable to see many audience members leave their seats and stream up the aisles to get closer to the stage, giving Carlos enthusiastic, extended applause. They knew they had just experienced something extraordinary.
Carlos Kleiber: Mozart 36 and Brahms 2 (Philips, 1992)
Carlos’ performance of Mozart’s “Linz” symphony with the Wiener Philharmoniker is predictably excellent, as is the paired performance of Brahms’ 2nd symphony. However, neither performance quickens my pulse. Indeed, of the Kleiber DVDs I own, this one is played least often.
I prefer the earlier performance of Brahms’ 2nd by Carlos and the Bayerisches Staatsorchester in the closing concert of the 1987 Festival delle Panatenee Pompeiane at the Teatro Grande in Pompei, Italy. (Persistent sleuths may discover a DVD — offering mediocre video and audio quality — derived from RAI’s television broadcast of this concert, which also included Mozart’s “Linz” symphony.) The last movement of this performance of Brahms’ 2nd invariably brings me to the edge of my seat — sometimes out of it; it is that exciting. The tempo here is much faster than in the 1991 version with the WPO. In Amsterdam the 4th movement takes 10:32, while in Pompei only 8:17! Nevertheless, Carlos and the BSO keep things intact brilliantly. This is propulsive, lean, sometimes explosive Brahms, not the leisurely, melancholy, lush Brahms. (Note the prominent role of the timpanist in this performance.) Carlos pushes the BSO in the last movement, to magnificent effect. The last 44 seconds of the last movement are among the most exciting moments of orchestral music I have ever heard. With the end of the last note, there are shouts of “bravo!” and intense applause. Some members of the normally staid BSO string section even have beaming smiles on their faces as they take in the warm reception. Would that the producer of the broadcast had not ordered the image of the stage to be faded to black just as Carlos came out to take his fourth bow.
Carlos Kleiber: Beethoven “Coriolan,” Mozart 33, and Brahms 4 (DG, 1996)
To the best of my knowledge, although he continued to conduct on and off until February 1999, this October 1996 concert in München with the Bayerisches Staatsorchester was the last Kleiber concert to be video-recorded. One cannot but be struck by how much Carlos appears to have aged since the 1992 Neujahrskonzert. He also appears less steady on his feet. However, he gathered himself and exerted major effort during this concert. The “Coriolan” overture of Beethoven is conducted with alternating great power and great restraint. In particular, the opening eight ‘chords’ are startling and unforgettable.
To these ears, the Brahms’ 4th here is superior to the 1980 version in CD #4. One wonders: what was Carlos feeling at the conclusion of the second movement? He seems to have been profoundly moved, momentarily overcome. Having expended enormous intellectual and physical energy throughout the four movements, he appears all-but-exhausted upon finishing the piece. One senses that the interpretation in this performance is a kind of summing up of Carlos’ many years of studying and performing this great work. There is a depth, maturity, and intensity about this performance that even the one on the canonical 1981 DG CD lacks.
