Herbert von Karajan (April 5, 1908 – July 16, 1989) was an Austrian conduct… Read Full Bio ↴Herbert von Karajan (April 5, 1908 – July 16, 1989) was an Austrian conductor. He was one of the most prominent conductors of the postwar period and is widely regarded as the world's most recorded conductor. Karajan conducted the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra for thirty-five years.
Karajan played an important role in the development of the original compact disc digital audio format. He championed this new consumer playback technology, lent his prestige to it, and appeared at the first press conference announcing the format. Early CD prototypes had a play time limited to sixty minutes. It is often asserted that the decision to extend the maximum playing time of the compact disc to its standard of seventy-four minutes was achieved in order to adequately accommodate Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. This, however, is denied by Kees Immink, who co-invented the CD.
As was the case with soprano Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Karajan's membership in the Nazi Party and prominent cultural association with Nazism from 1933 to 1945 cast him in an uncomplimentary light after the war. While Karajan's defenders have argued that he joined the Nazis only to advance his own career, his critics have pointed out that other great conductors such as Bruno Walter, Erich Kleiber and Arturo Toscanini fled from fascist Europe at the time. It should be noted, however, that many famous conductors worked in Germany throughout the war years, including Furtwängler, Ansermet, Schuricht, Böhm, Knappertsbusch, Clemens Krauss, Rother and Elmendorff. Additionally, careerism could not have been Karajan's sole motivation, since he first joined the Nazi Party in 1933 in Salzburg, Austria, five years before the Anschluss. In The Cultural Cold War, published in Britain as Who Paid the Piper?, her book on CIA cultural policy in postwar Europe, Frances Stonor Saunders noted that Karajan "had been a party member since 1933, and never hesitated to open his concerts with the Nazi favourite 'Horst Wessel Lied.'" Additionally and in contradistinction to Wilhelm Furtwängler, Karajan had no objections to conducting in occupied Europe. Musicians such as Isaac Stern and Itzhak Perlman refused to play in concerts with Karajan because of his Nazi past. Some have questioned whether Karajan was committed to the Nazi cause given the fact of his marriage in 1942 to Anita Guetermann, a woman of clear Jewish origin, but it is only from that point that Karajan's star within the government dimmed.
Von Karajan has often been criticized for a performance that was too polished, especially in later years. "...[He] opted instead for an all-purpose, highly refined, lacquered, calculatedly voluptuous sound..." (Harvey Sachs). However, there is widespread agreement that Herbert von Karajan had a special gift for extracting beautiful sounds from an orchestra.
Classical, Baroque, Opera, Romantic, Philharmonic
Beethoven Symphonies Nos. 4, 7
Karajan played an important role in the development of the original compact disc digital audio format. He championed this new consumer playback technology, lent his prestige to it, and appeared at the first press conference announcing the format. Early CD prototypes had a play time limited to sixty minutes. It is often asserted that the decision to extend the maximum playing time of the compact disc to its standard of seventy-four minutes was achieved in order to adequately accommodate Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. This, however, is denied by Kees Immink, who co-invented the CD.
As was the case with soprano Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Karajan's membership in the Nazi Party and prominent cultural association with Nazism from 1933 to 1945 cast him in an uncomplimentary light after the war. While Karajan's defenders have argued that he joined the Nazis only to advance his own career, his critics have pointed out that other great conductors such as Bruno Walter, Erich Kleiber and Arturo Toscanini fled from fascist Europe at the time. It should be noted, however, that many famous conductors worked in Germany throughout the war years, including Furtwängler, Ansermet, Schuricht, Böhm, Knappertsbusch, Clemens Krauss, Rother and Elmendorff. Additionally, careerism could not have been Karajan's sole motivation, since he first joined the Nazi Party in 1933 in Salzburg, Austria, five years before the Anschluss. In The Cultural Cold War, published in Britain as Who Paid the Piper?, her book on CIA cultural policy in postwar Europe, Frances Stonor Saunders noted that Karajan "had been a party member since 1933, and never hesitated to open his concerts with the Nazi favourite 'Horst Wessel Lied.'" Additionally and in contradistinction to Wilhelm Furtwängler, Karajan had no objections to conducting in occupied Europe. Musicians such as Isaac Stern and Itzhak Perlman refused to play in concerts with Karajan because of his Nazi past. Some have questioned whether Karajan was committed to the Nazi cause given the fact of his marriage in 1942 to Anita Guetermann, a woman of clear Jewish origin, but it is only from that point that Karajan's star within the government dimmed.
Von Karajan has often been criticized for a performance that was too polished, especially in later years. "...[He] opted instead for an all-purpose, highly refined, lacquered, calculatedly voluptuous sound..." (Harvey Sachs). However, there is widespread agreement that Herbert von Karajan had a special gift for extracting beautiful sounds from an orchestra.
Classical, Baroque, Opera, Romantic, Philharmonic
Beethoven Symphonies Nos. 4, 7
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01Serenade No. 13 in G Major, K. 525, "Eine kleine Nachtmusik": I. Allegro5:54Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
03Serenade No. 13 for Strings in G major, K. 525 "Eine kleine Nachtmusik": III. Minuetto. Allegretto & Trio2:06Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
05Mozart: Flute and Harp Concerto in C Major, K. 299/297c (Excerpt): II. Andantino - 1985 Remastered Version4:00Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
06Mozart: 3 German Dances, K. 605: No. 3 in C Major, 'Die Schlittenfahrt'2:48Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
08Horn Concerto No. 4 in E Flat Major, K.495 (1997 - Remaster): III. Rondo (Allegro vivace)3:40Dennis Brain
09Mozart: Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute), K. 620, Act 1: Overture - 1999 Remaster7:04Wiener Philharmoniker
10Mozart: Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute), K. 620, Act 1: "Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja" (Papageno) - 1999 Remaster2:37Wiener Philharmoniker
11Mozart: Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute), K. 620, Act 2: "Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen" (Königin)2:46Wiener Philharmoniker
12Così fan tutte, K. 588: Act I, Scene VI. No. 10 Terzettino "Soave sia il vento" (Fiordligi, Dorabella, Don Alfonso)3:21Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
14Symphony No.29 in A Major, K.201 (1996 - Remaster): Allegro moderato - excerpt5:18Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
17Vivaldi: Le quattro stagioni (The Four Seasons), Concerto No. 1 in E Major, RV 269, 'La primavera': I. Allegro3:18Wiener Philharmoniker
18The Four Seasons, Concerto No. 2 in G minor (L'estate/ Summer) RV315 (Op. 8 No. 2): III. Presto2:48Wiener Philharmoniker
19The Four Seasons, Concerto No. 3 in F, RV 293 (Op.8 No. 3) 'L'autunno': III. Allegro3:24Wiener Philharmoniker
20The Four Seasons, Concerto No. 4 in F Minor, RV 297 (Op.8 No. 4) 'L'inverno': II. Largo2:02Wiener Philharmoniker
21The Four Seasons, Concerto No. 4 in F minor (L'inverno/ Winter) RV297 (Op. 8 No. 4): III. Allegro3:16Wiener Philharmoniker
22Hummel: Trumpet Concerto in E Major, WoO 1, S. 49 (E-Flat Major Version): III. Allegro molto3:38Herbert von Karajan
25Beethoven: Concerto for Piano, Violin and Cello in C Major, Op. 56, "Triple Concerto": II. Largo5:34Sviatoslav Richter/David Oistrakh/Mstislav Rostropovich/Berliner Philharmoniker/Herbert von Karajan
28Piano Concerto No. 5, Op.73 'Emperor' (1996 - Remaster): II. Adagio un poco mosso4:28Herbert von Karajan
30Piano Concerto No. 1, Op.23 (2004 - Remaster): I. Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso0:01Herbert von Karajan
31Don Quixote - fantastic variations, Op.35: Thema: Mäßig - Don Quixote. The Knight of the Mournful Countenance2:23Mstislav Rostropovich
32Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op.18 (2004 - Remaster): II. Adagio sostenuto14:30Sergei Rachmaninoff
33Violin Concerto in D Major, Op.77 (1996 - Remaster): II. Allegro giocoso, ma non troppo vivace (Cadenza by Kreisler)8:35Berliner Philharmoniker/Herbert von Karajan/Gidon Kremer
35Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68, 'Pastoral': V. Allegretto (Shepherds' Song. Happy and thankful feelings after the storm)9:25Philharmonia Orchestra
40Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Op.125 'Choral' (2008 - Remaster): IV. Presto - Allegro ma non troppo - Allegro assai - Allegro assai vivace - Alla marcia - Andante maestoso - Allegro energico, sempre ben marcato - Allegro ma non tanto - Poco ad - MONO0:01Philharmonia Orchestra
45Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op.74 'Pathétique' (2006 - Remaster): I. Adagio - Allegro con troppo0:01Philharmonia Orchestra
46Symphony No. 5 in E Flat Major, Op.82 (2001 - Remaster): III. Allegro molto - Un pochettino largamente9:12Herbert von Karajan
48Strauss, Johann II: An die schönen, blauen Donau, Op. 314 (Excerpt) - 1987 Remastered Version3:49Herbert von Karajan
54Strauss, Johann II: Tritsch-Tratsch, Polka schnell, Op. 214 - 1985 Remastered Version2:40Herbert von Karajan
59Concerto for Orchestra, Sz.116 (1989 - Remaster): I. Introduzione (Andante non troppo - Allegro vivace)4:26Herbert von Karajan
70Offenbach: Orphée aux enfers: Ouverture (Allegro con fuoco - Allegretto - Lento - Allegro vivace - Andante - Allegro)9:38Philharmonia Orchestra
71Les contes d'Hoffmann (1988 - Remaster): Barcarolle (orchestral version)4:09Philharmonia Orchestra
76Swan Lake - Ballet Suite, Op.20 (2007 - Remaster): Dance of the little swans1:37Philharmonia Orchestra
77Swan Lake - Ballet Suite, Op.20 (2007 - Remaster): Hungarian Dance - Czardas3:31Philharmonia Orchestra
78The Sleeping Beauty, Op.66 - Extracts (2007 - Remaster): No.6 Valse (Act I)4:20Philharmonia Orchestra
79The Sleeping Beauty, Op.66 - Extracts (2007 - Remaster): No.8 Pas d'action ('Rose' Adagio) (Act I)6:11Philharmonia Orchestra
82Otello (1988 - Remaster): Una vela! Una vela!...Esultate! (Act I)6:29Jon Vickers/Chöre der Deutschen Oper Berlin/Berliner Philharmoniker/Herbert von Karajan
84Verdi: Don Carlo (1884 Milan Version), Act 1 Scene 1: "Dio, che nell'alma infondere amor" (Don Carlo, Rodrigo, Coro di frati, Il frate)4:46Giuseppe Verdi
85Verdi: Don Carlo (1884 Milan Version), Act 1 Scene 2: "Nei giardin del bello … Tessete i veli" (Eboli, Tebaldo, Coro di dame)4:53Giuseppe Verdi
86Il Trovatore, Act II Scene One: Coro delle incudini: Vedi le fosche notturne (Coro)3:00Giuseppe Verdi
87Ein Deutsches Requiem, Op.45 'German Requiem' (1988 - Remaster): IV. Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen (Mässig bewegt)5:32Herbert von Karajan
88Der Rosenkavalier (2001 - Remaster): Herr Kavalier (Baron/Annina)4:48Otto Edelmann/Kerstin Meyer/Philharmonia Orchestra/Herbert von Karajan
89Hänsel und Gretel (1999 - Remaster), Act I, Scene 1: Brüderchen, komm tanz' mit mir - Tanzduett (Gretel/Hänsel)3:38Philharmonia Orchestra
90Fidelio (1989 Digital Remaster), Act I: Mir ist so wunderbar (Marzelline/Leonore/Rocco/Jaquino)4:45Herbert von Karajan
91Fidelio (1989 Digital Remaster), Act II: Wer ein holdes Weib errungen (all)4:01Herbert von Karajan
92Missa Solemnis in D Major, Op.123 (1988 - Remaster), Gloria: Gloria in excelcis4:58Herbert von Karajan
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100 Best Karajan
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Lyrics
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