The Karajan Official Remastered Edition comprises 13 box sets containing official remasterings of the finest recordings the Austrian conductor made for EMI between 1946 and 1984, and which are now a jewel of the Warner Classics catalogue.
For many, Herbert von Karajan (1908-1989) – hailed early in his career as ‘Das Wunder Karajan’ (The Karajan Miracle) and known in the early 1960s as ‘the music director of Europe’ – remains the ultimate embodiment of the maestro. The release of the Karajan Official Remastered Edition over the first half of 2014 marks the 25th anniversary of the conductor’s death in July 1989 at the age of 81.
He was closely associated with EMI for the majority of his recording career (specifically from 1946 to 1960 and then again from 1969 to 1984). EMI’s legendary producer Walter Legge sought him out in Vienna just after World War II and the long relationship that ensued embraced recordings with the Vienna Philharmonic, the Philharmonia (the orchestra founded by Legge), the Berlin Philharmonic (of which Karajan became ‘conductor for life’ in 1955), the forces of La Scala, Milan, and the Orchestre de Paris.
The Karajan Official Remastered Edition will feature primarily symphonic and choral music. The entire edition will comprise recordings remastered from the original sources in 24-bit/96kHz at Abbey Road Studios, the world’s most renowned recording studio.
HERBERT VON KARAJAN OFFICIAL REMASTERED EDITION
The Vienna Philharmonic post war recordings
825646336180
CD 1 Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro-Overture, 'Eine kleine Nachtmusik'
Clarinet Concerto Leopold Wlach
Symphony No.39
CD 2 Mozart: Adagio & Fugue, Adagio from Divertimento No.17
Beethoven: Symphonies No.5 & No.8
CD 3 Mozart: Three German Dances, K.605 - No.3 in C 'Die Schlittenfahrt'
Six German Dances, K.600 - No.5 in G 'Der Kanarienvogel'
Symphony No.33 in B flat, K.319
Schubert: Symphony No.9 in C, D.944 'The Great'
CD 4 Brahms: Symphony No.2 in D, Op.73
Mozart: Masonic Funeral Music, K.477
R. Strauss: Metamorphosen
CD 5 J. Strauss II: Die Fledermaus - Overture, An der schönen blauen Donau, Op.314,
Kaiser-Walzer, Op.437, Perpetuum mobile, Op.257, Künstlerleben-Walzer, Op.316
Wien, Wieb und Gesang, Op.333, Unter Donner und Blitz Polka, Op.324,
Der Zigeunerbaron - Overture
Josef Strauss: Sphärenklange-Walzer, Op.235
CD 6 Reznicek: Donna Diana - Overture
J. Strauss II: Wienerblut-Walzer, Op.354, Leichtes Blut Polka, Op.319, Pizzicato Polka
Trisch-Trasch Polka, Op.214, Geschichten aus dem Wienerwald, Op.325
Josef Strauss: Transaktionen-Walzer, Op.184, Delirien-Walzer, Op.212
CD 7 Chabrier: España - Rhapsody
Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet - Fantasy Overture
Symphony No.6 in B minor, Op.74 'Pathétique'
CD 8 Beethoven: Symphony No.9 in D minor Op.125 (Choral)
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Elisabeth Höngen, Julius Patzak, Hans Hotter
Singverein der Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde
CD 9 Mozart: Extracts from Don Giovanni & Le nozze di Figaro
Erich Kunz, Irmgard Seefried, Maria Cebotari
Mascagni: Cavalleria rusticana - Intermezzo
Puccini: Manon Lescaut - Intermezzo
Extracts from La bohème & Gianni Schicchi
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Ljuba Welitsch
Mozart: Extracts from Die Zauberflöte & Die Entführung aus dem Serail
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Erich Kunz
J. Strauss II: Extract from Der Zigeunerbaron Maria Cebotari
Smetana: Extract from The Bartered Bride Hilde Konetzni
Strauss: Extract from Ariadne auf Naxos Maria Cebotari
CD 10 Wagner Extracts from Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Lohengrin, Der fliegende Holländer & Tannhäuser
Strauss Extracts from Der Rosenkavalier & Salome
Hilde Konetzni, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Irmgard Seefried, Ljuba Welitsch, Gertrud Schuster, Josef Witt
Wiener Philharmoniker
Recorded between September 1946 and November 1949 in Vienna
All recordings produced by Walter Legge
