Seiji Ozawa (b. 1935) was the designated conductor for the January 1, 2002 "New Years' Concert from Vienna", beautifully filmed and recorded for DVD by TDK. (I do not associate Ozawa with Johann Strauss I, II and other late 1800s Viennese composers, but rather with Schoenberg, Prokofiev, and Stravinsky.) This was my first DVD, and I still marvel at the clear picture and sound, a beauty to see AND hear at the same time.
Ozawa has been criticized in some circles for rather bland, lack luster music making, but in this concert he is excellent especially in the Marches, Polkas, and incidental pieces, such as the Helmesberger "Dance Diabolique," my first acquaintance with the piece. I would pay the price of this DVD for that work alone! - my favorite piece on the whole program. There are some very familiar and less familiar pieces here, and the Vienna Philharmonic play with total command of these works - they could play them in their sleep, I would presume. But in some cases - the DIE FLEDERMAUS Overture, ON THE BEAUTIFUL BLUE DANUBE Waltz, and RADETZKY MARCH, Ozawa seems to bend tempos too much, and the musical line sags. In short, I like the Polkas best on this program.
This is worth hearing/seeing, with some reservations. But the sound and picture are very beatiful, even on modest DVD/TV equipment. Widescreen. |
Ozawa and the Vienna Philharmonic: New Year's Concert 2002 dvd movie.