Bedřich Smetana’s “The Moldau” was one of the first pieces Karajan recorded with the Berlin Philharmonic in 1941. It is – together with Dvořák’s “New World Symphony” – the most popular work...
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It would definitely have been one of the best-selling classical albums of all time: Karajan conducts Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana”, the most popular choral work in the 20th century. But the record...
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It is a well-known fact that Karajan met some of the most important composers of his time – from Richard Strauss to Hans Werner Henze. The case with William Walton seems to be special as they were not only colleagues but friends...
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When Karajan conducted “Aida” for the first time in Vienna in 1951, it was not at the State Opera. As with “Carmen” three years later, he caused a stir...
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It is generally accepted in the biographies about Karajan that his dedication to Mahler and the Second Viennese School was a major project in the 1970s. Even his critics consider the LP box with works of Arnold Schönberg, Anton von Webern and Alban Berg to be...
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There are a lot of pieces that Karajan only recorded once and never performed live. But it was unusual for him...
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In 1981, Karajan recorded Nielsen’s symphony Nr 4 “Det uudslukkelige (the Inextinguishable)”. It was the first and only time he recorded a work by Nielsen and he never performed the symphony live. It may be significant that...
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It is often said that Karajan wasn’t all that interested in contemporary music and when he conducted it, his commitment to a specific piece wasn’t unswerving. Bartók’s “Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta”...
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An opera for children? Karajan took it very serious like a mature Wagnerian score. Engelbert Humperdinck’s “Hänsel und Gretel” is a “one-hit wonder” in the history of music and one of the...
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Being one of the great “Orchestererzieher (orchestra trainers)” of his time, it is no wonder that Karajan had a constant and inspired predilection for the works of the exceptional orchestrator Hector Berlioz...
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Here you can download the full curriculum vitae of Herbert von Karajan!