“It’s very big, absolutely crazy!” cried Goethe when he heard Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. The conductor Herbert von Karajan—a true connoisseur of Beethoven’s work—and the Berliner Philharmoniker present here an exceptional interpretation of the Symphony No. 5. Despite suffering from worsening deafness at the time of the masterpiece’s composition, Beethoven persevered and would succesfully complete his project of a large orchestral work defined by four fateful notes… as he would later explain this particular musical obsession, “this is the way that destiny knocks at the door”!
Beethoven Cycle – Symphony No. 6 “Pastoral”
In 1805, Beethoven wrote to a dear friend in anticipation of a visit to the countryside about “how delighted I shall be to ramble for a while through bushes, woods, under trees, through grass, and around rocks! No one can love the country as much as I do. For surely woods, trees, and rocks produce the echo which man desires to hear.” Just three years later, his magnificent homage to nature, the celebrated Symphony No. 6, received its premiere. Baptised as the “Pastoral” Symphony by Beethoven himself, the work comes to life in this brilliant interpretation by the great Maestro Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker.
Beethoven Cycle – Symphony No. 7
Incredibly popular since the day of its premiere (conducted by Beethoven himself!), the Seventh Symphony is one of the composer’s most rhythmic and dancing works. Maestro Karajan, great connoisseur of the composer’s work, and the Berliner Philharmoniker present here a truly exceptional interpretation.
Beethoven Cycle – Symphony No. 8
Premiered in Vienna in 1814, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 8 is colored by a remarkably joyful atmosphere. Could it have been related to the composer’s recent cure in Teplice (near Prague), where he had become friends with a certain German singer? Composed during the summer just after his Seventh Symphony, the Eighth’s first performance was met with a lukewarm reception. Maestro Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker come together here for a masterful performance.
Beethoven Violin Concerto
Premiered in 1806, Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D Major paved the way for three great violin concertos of the 19th and 20th centuries: Brahms, Tchaikovsky, and Sibelius. Extremely expressive and astonishing in it emotional scope, the work nonetheless received an ambivalent response at its premiere. Renowned for his knowledge of Beethoven’s oeuvre, the conductor Herbert von Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker are joined by the virtuoso violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter for a masterful performance.
Pictures at an Exhibition
Experience Mussorgsky’s celebrated Pictures at an Exhibition conducted by the exceptional Herbert von Karajan leading the Berliner Philharmoniker. This world-famous work was born of sad circumstances: in 1873, the composer’s friend, the painter Victor Hartmann, died suddenly from an aneurysm at 39 years old. Shocked, Mussorgsky organized an exhibition of Hartmann’s works at the St. Petersburg Academy of Fine Arts. While the visitors viewed the artwork, the idea came to Mussorgsky to celebrate his friend in music: “sounds and ideas hung in the air, I am gulping and overeating, and can barely manage to scribble them on paper.” Composed in just a few weeks, the piece (originally for piano) would be arranged and transcribed many times before Maurice Ravel’s 1922 orchestration, which is today the most popular.
Karajan conducts Brahms 1
Before he became a world-famous conductor, Herbert von Karajan had originally wanted to be a pianist. It was at the age of 20 that he gave up the piano, a choice that would play a determining role in his musical career: by the time he was 21 years old, he had already begun conducting operas! It is easy to imagine that his attachment to the piano gave Karajan a particular affinity for the music of the great late 19th century conductor and concert-pianist Johannes Brahms. Karajan gave Brahms’s First Symphony—composed over the course of 20 years and premiered in 1876 in Karlsruhe— a masterful interpretation in this concert featuring the brilliant Berliner Philharmoniker.
Karajan conducts Brahms 2
“He was obsessed with the beauty of sound. He strove for a round and subtle sound, both precise and sparkling. It is bliss that we hear in the numerous recordings he made with the Berliner Philharmoniker.” It was the sociologist Dr. Françoise Davoine gave this admirative description of the celebrated maestro Herbert von Karajan’s fruitful collaboration with the prestigious Berlin orchestra. Karajan and the Philharmoniker’s common quest for the perfect sound is brilliantly expressed in this powerful interpretation of Brahms’s Second Symphony.
Missa solemnis
Longstanding artistic collaborators, the conductor Herbert von Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker present a magnificent performance of one of Beethoven’s greatest masterpieces. At the age of 54 in 1824, Beethoven was at the height of his art: he would premiere both his Missa Solemnis and his celebrated Ninth Symphony in the same year! Despite total deafness, it is a testament to the brilliance of his works that they would influence European contemporary composers of all stripes, from Rossini and Schubert to Weber and Liszt. Beethoven suffered from illness constantly beginning in 1825, eventually dying two years later during a violent storm.
Beethoven Cycle – Symphony No. 1
The Berliner Philharmoniker and the exceptional maestro Herbert von Karajan present a beautiful performance of Beethoven’s First Symphony. Premiered in 1800 at Vienna’s Burgtheater, the work is dedicated to one of the composer’s first protectors, the Baron van Swieten. Just 30 years old at the time of the symphony’s composition, the young Beethoven’s work shows the influence of both his admiration for Mozart and his studies with Haydn.