Berliner Philharmoniker  BPHR-250571 (20 discs)

Stereo Hybrid

Classical - Orchestral

Johann Sebastian Bach:
Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 in F major, BWV 1046 (Thomas Brandis, Hansjörg Schellenberger, Burkhard Rohde, Heinrich Kärcher, Gerd Seifert, Dieter Fischer, Philipp Moll)
Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major, BWV 1048 (Michel Schwalbé, Léon Spierer, Wolfram Christ, Ottomar Borwitzky, Eberhard Finke, Friedrich Witt, Rainer Zepperitz, Herbert von Karajan)

Béla Bartók:
Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta, Sz 106

Ludwig van Beethoven:
Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 55 “Eroica”
Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92

Alban Berg:
Three Pieces from the Lyric Suite for string orchestra
Three Pieces for Orchestra, Op. 6

Hector Berlioz:
Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14

Johannes Brahms:
Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73
Concerto for Violin, Cello and Orchestra in A minor, Op. 102 (Thomas Brandis, Ottomar Borwitzky)

Anton Bruckner:
Symphony No. 4 in E flat major “Romantic” (2nd version from 1878/80)
Symphony No. 5 in B flat major

Claude Debussy:
Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune

Antonín Dvořák:
Symphony No. 8 in G major, Op. 88
Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95 “From the New World”

Gustav Mahler:
Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth) (Agnes Baltsa, Hermann Winkler)

Felix Mendelssohn:
Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op. 56 “Scottish”

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart:
Symphony No. 41 in C major, K. 551 “Jupiter”
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 23 in A major, K. 488 (Jean-Bernard Pommier)
Sinfonia concertante for four winds in E flat major, K. 297b (Karl Steins, Karl Leister, Gerd Seifert, Manfred Braun)

Modest Mussorgsky:
Pictures at an Exhibition (arr. by M. Ravel)

Krzysztof Penderecki:
Capriccio for Violin and Orchestra (Leon Spierer)

Maurice Ravel:
Daphnis et Chloé, Suite No. 2

Arnold Schoenberg:
Pelleas und Melisande, Op. 5

Franz Schubert:
Symphony No. 7 in B minor, D 759 “Unfinished”

Robert Schumann:
Symphony No. 4 in D minor, Op. 120

Jean Sibelius:
Symphony No. 4 in A minor, Op. 63
Symphony No. 5 in E flat major, Op. 82
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D minor, Op. 47 (Christian Ferras)
Finlandia, Op. 26

Richard Strauss:
Metamorphoses, Study for 23 solo strings
Also sprach Zarathustra (Thus Spoke Zarathustra), Op. 30
Ein Heldenleben (A Hero’s Life), Op. 40

Igor Stravinsky:
Le Sacre du printemps (The Rite of Spring)

Werner Thärichen:
Batrachomyomachia, Op. 55 (Werner Thärichen, Oswald Vogler, Walton Grönroos, Kammerchor Ernst Senff, Ernst Senff)

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky:
Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 1 in B flat minor, Op. 23 (Mark Zeltser)

Antonio Vivaldi:
Sinfonia for Strings in B minor, RV 169 “Al Santo Sepolcro”

Anton Webern:
Five Movements for String Orchestra, Op. 5

Gerhard Wimberger:
Plays for 12 solo cellos, wind and percussion (The 12 Cellists of the Berliner Philharmoniker)

Berliner Philharmoniker
Herbert von Karajan (conductor)


This edition presents the second part of a series of largely unreleased live recordings, which chronologically trace the Berliner Philharmoniker’s years with Herbert von Karajan. Following the formative phase of the 1960s, the recordings from the 1970s cover the heyday, when the chief conductor and orchestra had fully found their feet and perfected the sound that was so characteristic of their partnership. The edition not only complements the existing joint discography, but also provides a counterpoint: while the widely known recordings were mostly made in the studio, these recordings capture the unique magic of a live concert.

The recordings in the edition, which are presented in their entirety, also offer an insight into Herbert von Karajan’s dramaturgical approach. Beethoven’s and Bruckner’s symphonies have a firm place in it, but so do works that provide a contrasting colour – which the conductor, however, recorded on disc only in part. In addition, this journey through time allows listeners to encounter orchestra members such as concertmasters Leon Spierer and Thomas Brandis, who appear as protagonists in solo concertos.

The recordings were made between 1970 and 1979 by Rundfunk im Amerikanischen Sektor (RIAS) and Sender Freies Berlin (SFB). They have been digitally remastered from analogue recordings to achieve the best possible quality for this edition. The hardcover box, designed by Thomas Scheibitz, contains the recordings on 20 CDs/SACDs (hybrid), as well as an accompanying book with in-depth essays and photos portraying Herbert von Karajan, the man and musician.