Karajan | Helmut Schmidt – chancellor and pianist | Official Website of Herbert von Karajan

9 DECEMBER 2022

Helmut Schmidt – chancellor and pianist

Helmut Schmidt, the West German chancellor, and his wife Hannelore “Loki” Schmidt, were great fans of Karajan’s. On the occasion of a concert at the Salzburg Easter Festival in 1982,...

1 DECEMBER 2022

Karajan artists: Michael Hampe – the “Don Giovanni” director

Michael Hampe was a German stage director and theatre manager who worked with Karajan on the 1987 Salzburg “Don Giovanni”.

1 DECEMBER 2022

Spotlight Bruckner: Your guide to the symphonies

In this episode of the Spotlight series we are looking at Karajan's interpretations of the Bruckner symphonies. As was the case with many other great 20th-century conductors, Bruckner’s oeuvre was a central pillar in Karajan’s symphonic repertoire. In his last season 1988/89, he chose two Bruckner symphonies for his last performance in New York (the 8th) and for his last concert of all in Vienna (the 7th).

1 DECEMBER 2022

Karajan artists: René Kollo – the Wagner tenor

René Kollo was a German tenor superstar in the 1970s and figured in some of Karajan’s most prestigious projects at that time – “Das Lied von der Erde”, “The Merry Widow”, “Lohengrin” ...

24 NOVEMBER 2022

Karajan artists: Leonie Rysanek – Sieglinde and more

Leonie Rysanek was “in every way a true prima donna (Luciano Pavarotti)” both in the German and in the Italian repertoire. Rysanek, born in Vienna in 1926, succeeded as Sieglinde in Bayreuth at the age of 24...

24 NOVEMBER 2022

Karajan artists: Christa Ludwig – collaboration over 26 years

She was one of the most acclaimed mezzos of our time. Christa Ludwig worked with almost every great maestro in the second half of the 20th century, and of course with Karajan, who was her mentor and one of her favourite conductors for over 25 years...

21 NOVEMBER 2022

Karajan artists: Kurt Moll – the bass with the velvet voice

Kurt Moll was one of Karajan’s favourite bass-singers. After a first meeting in the studio in 1970, their collaboration became more intense in the 1980s...

21 NOVEMBER 2022

Karajan artists: John Neumeier – still in charge for ballet

There are not many artists left who worked with Karajan and still practise their profession. John Neumeier is one of them...

16 NOVEMBER 2022

Spotlight Brahms: Your guide to the orchestral works

Karajan was a "Brahmsian" with heart and soul. Even if he didn't perform every of Brahms' works for orchestra, the symphonies, the concertos and the Requiem have been cornerstones of his repertoire through his entire career...