Bartók: Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta / Hindemith: Sinfonie „Mathis der Maler“ cover

Bartók: Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta / Hindemith: Sinfonie „Mathis der Maler“

Herbert von Karajan · 1988

55 min · 7 tracks · classical music

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Elevation

Our rating, out of 100 — and why.

AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.

Instrumental
89 /100
Summit
Higher than 99% of albums we've rated

Two sharply individual orchestral designs get a polished, forceful presentation; the pairing is coherent by scale and texture, though it lacks a strong overall arc.

What we noticed

  • Bartók’s four movements trace an opening string fugue into a fast second movement, a hushed central Adagio with celesta and percussion, then a sharply driven finale.
  • Hindemith’s three movements move from brass-led pageantry through a subdued funeral movement to a final span that builds toward a chorale.
  • The album places two large-scale orchestral works back to back, with each work’s movements kept together rather than interleaved.
Composition 25% of the score
9/10

the writing — melody, harmony, structure, lyrics

Craft 20% of the score
8/10

production, performance, arrangement

Durability 25% of the score
8/10

whether it rewards returning to it

Distinctiveness 18% of the score
8/10

whether it sounds like itself

Sequencing 12% of the score
7/10

running order, pacing, length

Influence 3/10

Known within its scene. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.

Tracklist

Best experienced from track one — press play and let it unfold.

  • 1 Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta: I. Andante tranquillo 7:17
  • 2 Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta: II. Allegro 7:09
  • 3 Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta: III. Adagio 7:02
  • 4 Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta: IV. Allegro molto 6:49
  • 5 Symphonie: „Mathis der Maler“: I. Engelskonzert 9:06
  • 6 Symphonie: „Mathis der Maler“: II. Grablegung 4:41
  • 7 Symphonie: „Mathis der Maler“: III. Versuchung des Heiligen Antonius 13:23

What to play next

Till Eulenspiegel / Don Juan / Tod und Verklärung / Salomes Tanz
Listen next

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1988
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Klavierkonzerte 3 & 4

1988
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Reference: MusicBrainz