Few repertory works present such formidable problems of balance as the Triple Concerto, both to the performers and to the engineers. This first CD version, remastered from an analogue original, underlines those problems, for though the soloists are less forwardly placed than on most rival versions, they are plainly well in front of the orchestra. Microphone placing made necessary by the soloists may also account for the fact that orchestral tuttis are far less transparent than we have grown used to, particularly on CD. The sound effectively brings out Karajan's view of this concerto as a work of high, dramatic contrasts. Though he is plainly the master, the individuality of the three excellent young soloists comes over very positively, even if this was one of the rare occasions when Yo-Yo Ma's intonation was not always centre-of-the-note, a point underlined by the precision of CD. Ensemble is not always so crisp as on rival versions.
The three overtures, making a worthwhile fill-up on CD, come from much earlier recordings, and though tuttis have a touch of stridency, the sound is otherwise very acceptable, with the Berlin Philharmonic made to sound mellower than in latterday recordings, thanks to a warm, helpful reverberation, apt for the massiveness of Karajan's readings.'