Berliner Philharmoniker and Herbert von Karajan: 1953–1969 live in Berlin

CD 1
Mono: Concert No. 1 – 8 September 1953 ꞏ Titania-Palast

Beethoven
Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 55 “Eroica”

Mono: Concert No. 2 – 22 November 1954 ꞏ Hochschule für Musik

Vaughan Williams
Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis

CD 2
Mono: Concert No. 3 – 22 February 1955 ꞏ Hochschule für Musik

Wagner
Tristan und Isolde, Prelude and Liebestod

Mono: Concert No. 4 – 21 January 1956 ꞏ Paulus-Gemeinde Zehlendorf

Mozart
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in D minor, K. 466
Wilhelm Kempff, piano

Symphony No. 41 in C major, K. 551 “Jupiter”

CD 3
Mono: Concert No. 5 – 10 December 1956 ꞏ Hochschule für Musik

R Strauss
Ariadne auf Naxos, Es gibt ein Reich, Op. 60
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf

Tchaikovsky
Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64

CD 4
Mono: Concert No. 6 – 19 February 1957 ꞏ Hochschule für Musik

Prokofiev
Symphony No. 5 in B flat major, Op. 100

CD 5
Mono: Concert No. 7 – 25 April 1957 ꞏ Hochschule für Musik

Beethoven
Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125
Elisabeth Grümmer, soprano
Marga Höffgen, mezzo-soprano
Ernst Haefliger, tenor
Gottlob Frick, bass

Chor der Sankt Hedwigs-Kathedrale
Karl Forster, chorus master

CD 6
Mono: Concert No. 8 – 25 May 1957 ꞏ Hochschule für Musik

Beethoven
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37
Glenn Gould, piano

Sibelius
Symphony No. 5 in E flat major, Op. 82

CD 7
Mono: Concert No. 9 – 20 September 1959 ꞏ Hochschule für Musik

Handel
Concerto grosso in D major, Op. 6 No. 5, HWV 323
Liebermann
Capriccio for Soprano, Violin and Orchestra
Irmgard Seefried, soprano
Wolfgang Schneiderhan, violin

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

CD 8
Mono: Concert No. 10 – 10 October 1961 ꞏ Hochschule für Musik

Brahms
Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98
Debussy
Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune
Ravel
Daphnis et Chloé, Orchestral Suite No. 2

CD 9
Mono: Concert No. 11 – 1 March 1963 ꞏ Hochschule für Musik

J S Bach
Magnificat in D major, BWV 243

Maria Stader, soprano
Christa Ludwig, mezzo-soprano
Luigi Alva, tenor
Walter Berry, bass

RIAS Kammerchor

CD 10
Mono: Concert No. 12 – 15 October 1963 ꞏ Philharmonie

Ludwig Van Beethoven
Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125

Gundula Janowitz, soprano
Sieglinde Wagner, mezzo-soprano
Luigi Alva, tenor
Otto Wiener, baritone

Chor der Sankt Hedwigs-Kathedrale, RIAS Kammerchor

CD 11
Mono: Concert No. 13 – 5 May 1964 ꞏ Philharmonie

R Strauss
Concerto for Oboe and Small Orchestra in D major
Lothar Koch, oboe

Four Last Songs
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, soprano

CD 12
Mono: Concert No. 13 – 5 May 1964 ꞏ Philharmonie

R Strauss
Ein Heldenleben, Op. 40

Mono: Concert No. 14 – 25 February 1965 ꞏ Philharmonie

Bruckner
Symphony No. 8 in C minor (2nd version)

CD 13
Mono: Concert No. 14 – 25 February 1965 ꞏ Philharmonie

Bruckner
Symphony No. 8 in C minor (2nd version)

CD 14
Mono: Concert No. 15 – 23 September 1965 ꞏ Philharmonie

Mozart
Divertimento in B flat major, K. 287 “Lodron Serenade No. 2”

Richard Rodney Bennett
Aubade for Orchestra
Dvorák
Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95 “From the New World’’

CD 15
Mono: Concert No. 16 – 30 December 1965 ꞏ Philharmonie

R Strauss
Also Sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30
Don Quixote, Op. 35
Pierre Fournier, cello
Giusto Cappone, viola

CD 16
Stereo: Concert No. 17 – 22 October 1967 ꞏ Philharmonie

Mozart
Concerto for 3 Pianos and Orchestra in F major, K. 242
Jörg Demus, Christoph Eschenbach, Herbert von Karajan, piano

CD 17
Stereo: Concert No. 17 – 22 October 1967 ꞏ Philharmonie

Bruckner
Symphony No. 4 in E flat major “Romantic” (2nd version)

CD 18
Stereo: Concert No. 18 – 1 January 1968 ꞏ Philharmonie

Beethoven
Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125
Gundula Janowitz, soprano
Christa Ludwig, mezzo-soprano
Jess Thomas, tenor
Walter Berry, bass

Chor der Deutschen Oper Berlin

CD 19
Mono: Concert No. 19 – 28 September 1968 ꞏ Philharmonie

Brahms
Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98

CD 20
Mono: Concert No. 19 – 28 September 1968 ꞏ Philharmonie

Brahms
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 83
Géza Anda, piano

CD 21
Stereo: Concert No. 20 – 30 September 1968 ꞏ Philharmonie

Brahms
Symphony No. 3 in F major, Op. 90
Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73

CD 22
Stereo: Concert No. 21 – 5 January 1969 ꞏ Philharmonie

Handel
Concerto grosso in C minor, Op. 6 No. 8 HWV 326
Ligeti
Atmosphères
Schubert
Symphony No. 9 in C major, D 944 “The Great”

CD 23
Mono: Concert No. 22 – 3 February 1969 ꞏ Philharmonie

Schönberg
Variations for Orchestra, Op. 31
Tchaikovsky
Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64

CD 24
Stereo: Concert No. 23 – 21 September 1969 ꞏ Philharmonie

Bartók
Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta, Sz 106
Beethoven
Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 55 “Eroica

Various performers – see above

24 SACDs from https://www.berliner-philharmoniker.de/en/

Few conductors generate as much discussion as Herbert von Karajan. But whether you love, hate or are indifferent to his style of conducting his discography is immense and outside of his position as Principal Conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, he became an eminence grise of the classical music world. 

These 24 SACDs, which span the period 1953 to 69 and come in a luxury box with a 128 page hardback book, derive from radio broadcasts. Unfortunately they can’t be streamed or downloaded, which isn’t acceptable in 2025. In terms of the sound quality it’s pretty good with some pitch variation, but nothing too serious and the original sound engineers did an excellent job. As ever the DSD64 layer brings a richer, weightier, more analogue feel.  

Performance wise, the Bach and Handel are old-world flabby, with some poor choral singing in the Magnificat. From the Classical era there are two elegantly played Mozart Concerti, a rather bland Divertimento and a lithe Jupiter Symphony, where many of the repeats, as was the norm at the time, are ignored.  From Beethoven onwards you notice the prominent timpani and thankfully the use of a large orchestra. The Gould C Minor Concerto is coolly proficient; both Eroicas are powerful but lack the personality of Szell or Toscanini. Karajan always had the measure of the Ninth, powering his way through the faster movements, but singing the Adagio at a suitably slow tempo. Interestingly the Scherzo is much faster in the two later performances. The choral singing in all three is mediocre.

The Schubert, minus exposition repeats, is brutal and best forgotten. Schumann Four fares slightly better, but as with the Schubert there is no emotional engagement, the finale, until the coda, drags, Dvorak’s New World is a joyless affair, Tchaikovsky’s Fifth fast but soulless.  As you might expect the Brahms Symphonies are big, muscular and decidedly Teutonic, but more animated than his 1960s DG set. On the downside he ignores the Third’s first movement exposition repeat and conductors as diverse as Furtwangler and Toscanini find more drama and humanity. Géza Anda gives a leisurely, rather tired account of Op.82, and in the Debussy, Ravel, Vaughan Williams and Wagner we have very beautiful playing, but not much else; which brings us to the great performances. 

First we have the Strauss pieces, all of which have immense authority, a complete understanding of his sound world and the ability to mould each work’s sections into a convincing whole. It also helps having soloists as distinguished as Fournier, Koch and Schwarzkopf, although the latter isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. The same qualities distinguish his Bruckner, where he avoids the hopeless sprawl of so many, but still takes his time in the slow movements. His 1960s recordings of Sibelius and Prokofiev Five are rightly celebrated. Live there is more tempo variation, spontaneity and tension. The tonal pictures he paints in the Schoenberg Variations are exquisite and very romantic, he captures every change of mood in the Bartok and again the playing is superb.

It’s a pity there isn’t more contemporary music, but he is completely attuned to the sound and emotional worlds of Rodney Bennett, Ligeti and Liebermann, where the singing and playing of Seefried and Schneiderhan is magnificent.