In 1973 and 1974 Herbert von Karajan took on one of the most unusual projects of his career: recording Schoenberg, Berg, and Webern with the Berlin Philharmonic. He said it had taken 15 years with the orchestra to reach the precision needed for this music, which often makes almost impossible…
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“The moon methinks looks with a watery eye; / And when she weeps, weeps every little flower.”— William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream Night and dream are closely linked — especially on warm summer nights, when the light fades slowly and the world takes on a different tone. This playlist…
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The third playlist in our Italian opera series turns to Puccini, presented in chronological order. It begins with the youthful lyricism of the Act I duet from La Bohème, moves to the intimate prayer “Vissi d’arte” from Tosca, lingers in the atmospheric stillness of the “Humming Chorus” from Madama Butterfly, and…
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This week’s playlist looks at a new chapter in Italian opera after Verdi.In the late 19th century, composers turned away from kings and legends and began to write about ordinary people. This style was called Verismo – from the Italian word vero, meaning true. With music by Cilea, Mascagni, Giordano…
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This week’s playlist traces the stages of Verdi’s development—from the fire of his early operas to the psychological depth of his late works. With Ernani, Il trovatore, Un ballo in maschera and Otello, all under the baton of Herbert von Karajan, we follow a composer in constant transformation. Otello marks…
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This playlist takes you on a musical journey through the royal courts of Europe. Each track comes from a different country and shows a different kind of royal tradition: the grace of Austria, the ceremony of England, the colour of France, and the proud history of Hungary. These pieces were…
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The Maiden’s Dance is a playlist about dance — but not ballroom or ballet. The focus is on folk dances and music inspired by folk traditions. These pieces draw on rural rhythms, local stories, and traditional forms. Some are lively, others reflective, but all share a connection to music made…
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What does the Enlightenment sound like? The Enlightenment — or Age of Reason — was a period in the 17th and 18th centuries marked by a profound shift in how people understood the world. Thinkers like Voltaire, Kant, and Hume challenged tradition and authority, promoting reason, science, education, and individual…
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Gardens, with their bright colors, soft shade, and still ponds, have long inspired composers. They appear in music either as social spaces, where children play and adults gather, or as idealized visions, more dream than description. It’s not incidental that many cultures imagine paradise as a garden. Eden is described…
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In the 19th century, many composers began turning toward the unfamiliar — not necessarily to document it, but to imagine it. Romanticism was a period shaped by introspection, emotion, and the power of suggestion. Distant places such as Spain, the Middle East, or Japan were not explored musically in realistic…
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Here you can download the full curriculum vitae of Herbert von Karajan!