23 August 2024
P.R. Jenkins
“Karajan Digital Library” Vol. 19 & 20
Due to our summer break, we had no time to talk about three publications in Deutsche Grammophon’s “Karajan Digital Library” – Vol. 16 (Holst – Liszt), Vol. 17 (Haydn) and Vol. 18 (Grieg – Handel). Today is the release of Vols. 19 and 20. Volume 19 is not about composers in alphabetical order but about Karajan compilations such as the Christmas album or the record with national anthems. Vol. 20 features the recordings of Cherubini – Gounod. It is a fascinatingly rich set, including the main topics Dvořák (symphonies No. 8 and 9, the unrivalled recording of the cello concerto with Rostropovich and much more) and Debussy (“La mer” and “Prélude à l’apres-midi d’un faune” twice). There’s also ballet music by Chopin, Délibes and Gounod, a genre where Karajan is still unsurpassed, Italian opera intermezzi by Cilea and Giordano, where the same is true, and some classical music by Cherubini and Gluck.
Read more here.
— P.R. Jenkins