Beethoven, Symphony No.1 in C major, op. 21

The symphonies are part of the complete cycle of Beethoven symphonic and choral works featuring the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and the Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam conducted by Leonard Bernstein. All the works were recorded live in Vienna: Unitel produced the video recordings and Deutsche Grammophon released the

soundtracks in a special edition. The series won the Ace Award, the National (U.S.) Cable TV Association’s top award for outstanding quality and entertainment value.

Beethoven, String Quartet No.14 in C sharp minor, op.123

The introverted and personal quality of Beethoven’s late style is evident in this string quartet, written the year before the composer’s death. At this stage in Beethoven’s life, he was composing more for himself than for an audience, for he no longer felt it necessary to prove himself to his public. Despite the popular belief that Beethoven (at that time) was indifferent to the sound of his music because of his deafness, his sketchbooks show that he rewrote the last four bars of the variations of the quartet 12 times. It is the music of a man who has experienced life. The composer thought that this was his greatest string quartet. A traditional string quartet consists of two violins, one viola and one cello, and is usually in four movements; the String Quartet in C sharp minor contains seven movements, played without a pause. Leonard Bernstein said: “The C sharp minor Quartet seems to cry out for the whole string section.” In this performance, the work is played by an orchestra of 60 strings. This recording is part of Leonard Bernstein’s Beethoven cycle, recorded primarily with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in the early 1980s. Writing in The New York Times, critic John J. O’Connor stated: “As Mr. Bernstein says, there is ‘no single body of work in the universe of orchestral music that is in any way comparable to this one.’ Conducted with intense dedication and soaring spirits by Mr. Bernstein, these recordings are superb, both visually and aurally.”

Bartók, The Miraculous Mandarin, Suite, op. 19

A versatile and highly respected conductor, Christoph von Dohnányi has pursued a remarkable career both in Europe and the United States. After completing a long tenure as musical director and manager of the Frankfurt Opera, he was appointed to the same posts at the Hamburg State Opera. In 1984 he succeeded Lorin Maazel as principal conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra. He became first guest conductor of the London Philharmonic in 1994 as well. His commitment to new music is evident both in concert and in recordings. He led the premieres of Henze’s “Der junge Lord” and “Die Bassariden”. The “Miraculous Mandarin” was recorded in 1977 at Vienna’s Musikvereinssaal in a concert also featuring Richard Strauss’s “Burleske” and Mendelssohn’s “Scottish” Symphony.

Mendelssohn, Symphony No.3 in A minor, op.56 “Scottish”

One of the leading conductors of our time, Christoph von Dohnanyi was born in Berlin in 1929 and studied law in Munich after the war, later deciding to devote himself exclusively to music. His most important teacher was his grandfather, the composer Ernst von Dohnanyi, with whom he studied at the University of Florida. Dohnanyi also took conducting courses in Tanglewood. His career began when Georg Solti called him to the Frankfurt Opera in 1953, where he was choral conductor and later orchestral conductor. He then took posts in various German cities before serving as principal conductor and general manager of the Hamburg State Opera from 1978 to 1984. In 1984 he succeeded Lorin Maazel as permanent conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra. It is rare to find a conductor of Dohnanyi’s eminence who devotes such a great deal of time and energy to contemporary music. He has led the world premieres of Hans Werner Henze’s operas “Der junge Lord” and “Die Bassariden,” Gottfried von Einem’s “Kabale und Liebe” and Friedrich Cerha’s “Baal,” along with a number of orchestral works. One of the highlights of Unitel’s recordings of 20th-century works is Gustav Rudolf Sellner’s Berlin production of Henze’s “Der junge Lord” with several members of the world premiere, including Edith Mathis, Donald Grobe and Loren Driscoll. Also available are recordings of Richard Strauss’s “Burleske,” Béla Bartók’s “The Miraculous Mandarin” and Mendelssohn’s “Symphony No. 3,” the “Scottish” – all three of which were recorded with the Vienna Philharmonic in 1977 at Vienna’s Musikvereinssaal.

Strauss, Burleske for Piano and Orchestra in D minor

A versatile and highly respected conductor, Christoph von Dohnányi has pursued a remarkable career both in Europe and the United States. After completing a long tenure as musical director and manager of the Frankfurt Opera, he was appointed to the same posts at the Hamburg State Opera. In 1984 he succeeded Lorin Maazel as principal conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra. He became first guest conductor of the London Philharmonic in 1994 as well. His commitment to new music is evident both in concert and in recordings. He led the premieres of Henze’s “Der junge Lord” and “Die Bassariden”. The Austrian pianist Rudolf Buchbinder launched his international career as a soloist after winning the Lipatti Medal in 1962 and, particularly, the Special Prize in the Van Cliburn Competition in 1966. The “Burleske” was recorded in 1977 at Vienna’s Musikvereinssaal in a concert also featuring Bartók’s “The Miraculous Mandarin” Suite and Mendelssohn’s “Scottish” Symphony.

Debussy, Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune

Commanding the podium with his slender figure, theatrical shock of hair and penetrating blue eyes, Herbert von Karajan projected the hieratic image of the conductor as officiant of some quasi-mystic rite. And anyone who ever saw him conduct live or on his many audiovisual recordings will agree that in his performances, music did indeed become a religion and Karajan its high-priest. Karajan (1908-1989) embodied classical music in the general consciousness as an epoch-making conductor, media star, opera producer, festival director and festival founder. But in spite of his Promethean and widely varied activities, he remained a superb conductor, with a grasp of the standard orchestral and operatic repertory from Mozart to Schoenberg that was unsurpassed among his peers.

Debussy, La mer

Commanding the podium with his slender figure, theatrical shock of hair and penetrating blue eyes, Herbert von Karajan projected the hieratic image of the conductor as officiant of some quasi-mystic rite. And anyone who ever saw him conduct live or on his many audiovisual recordings will agree that in his performances, music did indeed become a religion and Karajan its high-priest. Karajan (1908-1989) embodied classical music in the general consciousness as an epoch-making conductor, media star, opera producer, festival director and festival founder. But in spite of his Promethean and widely varied activities, he remained a superb conductor, with a grasp of the standard orchestral and operatic repertory from Mozart to Schoenberg that was unsurpassed among his peers.