For his recording of Bruckner’s Eighth Symphony, Herbert von Karajan chose the version of 1887, one of the earliest of several revisions. The performance with the Vienna Philharmonic was recorded live in the spring of 1979 at the monastery church of St. Florian near Linz, where Bruckner spent many years as a student and teacher in his youth.
Brahms, Ein deutsches Requiem, op.45 (live)
The performance of Brahms’ German Requiem with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Vienna’s “Singverein der Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde” and the soloists Gundula Janowitz and José van Dam conducted by Herbert von Karajan was recorded live at the Salzburg Easter Festival in March 1978. Maestro Karajan focused on the gentle, comforting aspect of the work, presenting it as a Requiem for the living.
Beethoven, Symphony No.9 in D minor, op.125 “Choral”
When, in the mid 1960s, Herbert von Karajan decided to record on film all nine Beethoven symphonies with the Berlin Philharmonic, he began with the “Fifth” and asked the famous French movie director Henri-Georges Clouzot (Quai des Orfèvres) to direct. Recognizing in the music-loving director a kindred soul and master of the symbolic image, Karajan found an inspired partner. In another of Karajan’s first efforts, he asked six directors to “stage” one movement each of a Beethoven symphony. For a full week, the directors had the Berlin Philharmonic and Herbert von Karajan – all in full dress – at their disposal, with all the 35mm film, cameras, lighting and technical assistance they needed. Karajan’s most controversial production was Hugo Niebeling’s highly personal interpretation of the “Pastorale”, with its abstract shots of instruments, rapid rhythms, fade-ins and symbolically arranged colors.