Herbert von Karajan
Live in Berlin, 1970–1979
Berliner Philharmoniker
rec. live, 1971-1979, Philharmonie, Berlin
Stereo
Berliner Philharmoniker BPHR250571 SACD [20 discs: 1447]

In 2025 the Berlin Philharmonic issued on their own label a very substantial set of recordings of live performances in which the orchestra was conducted by Herbert von Karajan. These performances were given between 1953 and 1969. Now, the orchestra has followed up with a second boxed set containing performances given by Karajan and the orchestra in the 1970s. The first volume extended to 24 discs and reviewing it would have taken a considerable amount of time. In order to review the set expeditiously, we took the decision to divide the set into two equal halves: my colleague Philip Harrison reviewed half of the discs as digital downloads and I reviewed the remainder as SACDs. This latest boxed set is slightly smaller-it contains 20 SACDs-but a similar approach seems warranted, not least because it gives readers the chance to read appraisals of the recordings both in disc and download format. Philip Harrison was unable to take part in this exercise due to the pressure of other commitments; Dominic Hartley has taken his place and has reviewed the downloads. As before, the reviews have been prepared completely independently of each other. In this review I cover discs 1 to 10; Dominic is dealing with the contents of discs 11 to 20. We have appended to the reviews a contents list covering the whole set.

All the recordings presented in this set derive from radio broadcasts of concerts given in the Philharmonie. The majority of the recordings are the work of Rundfunk im Amerikanischen Sektor (Radio in the American Sector, now Deutschlandradio). Four of the concerts were transmitted by Sender Freies Berlin (Radio Free Berlin, now rbb) but only one of that station’s broadcasts is represented in the first half of the set; that’s the concert of 25 September 1971, which constitutes SACD 1.

One or two general points are worth making at the outset, I think. In the previous box it was fascinating to chart the developing relationship between Karajan and the orchestra, especially after he became their Chief Conductor in 1956. This latest box, covering the 1970s lets us hear the partnership at its zenith. Many of the works included here were recorded commercially, mostly for DG, but here we can experience the works in live performance. One qualification has to be made, I’m afraid. There’s a good deal of duplication. By my count, eleven of the pieces presented here were also included, in earlier performances, in the first box. Also, there are a few works – Mozart’s ‘Jupiter’ symphony, Stravinsky’s Le sacre du printemps and Bruckner’s Fifth symphony – which are duplicated within this box (similar duplications also happened in the first box). I do wonder how many performances of a work by the same conductor, even so eminent as Karajan, most collectors will want. The other thing that struck me was a relative narrowing of the repertoire in this box compared to its predecessor. To be sure, there are some works which one rarely encounters under Karajan-not just the contemporary works by Penderecki, Wimberger and Thärichen but also mainstream items such as the Mendelssohn ‘Scottish’ Symphony and the two Brandenburg concertos – but much of the music included here came from his core repertoire. I presume that the contents of the set have been dictated by the availability of radio recordings but some readers may share my slight disappointment that a wider-ranging repertoire isn’t in evidence here. Still, we must be grateful for what we have and the contents of this set offer some wonderful performances by a partnership between a great conductor and a magnificent orchestra; here, both are heard consistently at the top of their game.

Disc 1 preserves a concert given on 25 September 1971. The opening item could fairly be described as an anachronism. Karajan and the strings of the BPO play Vivaldi’s short Sinfonia for Strings in B minor, RV 169, known as “Al Santo Sepolcro”. This is the sort of performance that I venture to suggest we’d never hear nowadays. The performance is intense and the speeds are very slow. The orchestral sound is full-textured and rich. The performance has its own fascination, and though it’s not to my taste I can appreciate the sincerity of Karajan’s approach. It’s quite a leap to the next item on the programme. Christian Ferras joins the orchestra to play the Sibelius Violin Concerto. Christian Ferras (1933-1982) was a frequent collaborator with Karajan; they recorded this concerto together in October 1964 and I admired the performance when I reviewed a DG reissue of it in 2022. In this 1971 performance, Ferras is a commanding soloist; that impression is heightened, I think, because he’s quite forwardly balanced; by comparison, the 1964 DG recording, made under studio conditions, gives him prominence but to a slightly lesser extent than is the case here. After I’d done my listening, I went back to my review of the 1964 recording and I saw that I had referred to the violinist’s “pure, gleaming tone”; Ferras gives a similar impression here. Needless to say, he’s completely on top of all the concerto’s virtuoso demands but just as impressive is the way he conveys the poetry in the first two movements. Karajan and the orchestra offer marvellous support throughout. This is a fine performance of the Sibelius concerto.

The concert closed with Stravinsky’s Le sacre du printemps. A few years later, Karajan and the BPO recorded this masterpiece for DG (review), though I’ve never owned that recording; I was glad, therefore, to have the opportunity to hear Karajan direct this score. It’s often said that standards of orchestral playing – and choral singing too – have risen significantly in the last fifty years or so. That’s true, but it’s salutary to listen to this 1971 performance because it shows the level that the Berlin Philharmonic had already attained by this date. The playing is fantastic – I noticed what might be one inconsequential slip by a brass player but otherwise the orchestra seems flawless to me.  There are one or two occasions when Karajan’s speeds seem on the slow side to me – at the start of the ‘Augures printaniers’ section, for example – but for most of the time I found his interpretation very convincing. There’s great energy in ‘Jeu du rapt’ and the full power of the BPO in ‘Cortège du sage’ and ‘Danse de la Terre’ is mightily impressive. The opening of Part II is sculpted with great care while ‘Glorification de l’élue’ is properly savage. The concluding ‘Danse sacrale (L’élue)’ is tumultuous yet tightly controlled; the playing has knife-edge precision. This is a compelling performance, superbly delivered. There’s a second performance of Le sacre, given in 1977, later in the box; Dominic Hartley will be appraising that.  

Disc 2, contains a concert from 19 February 1972. It opens with what is, surprisingly, something of a Karjan rarity in the shape of Mendelssohn’s Third symphony. My colleague, Philip Harrison, has told me that Karajan and the BPO made a commercial recording of the work – which I’ve not heard – in 1971, but Philip believes that Karajan didn’t return to the score after 1972. That’s surprising since he does the work very well. I enjoyed the whole performance, especially the atmospheric introduction to the first movement and the beautifully shaped and shaded Adagio third movement. The rest of this February programme was devoted to two Karajan specialities from the French repertoire, starting with Debussy’s Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune. Incidentally, the documentation states that James Galway was the flute soloist here and in the following Ravel item. However, I’ve been informed by the label that in fact the solo flute chair was occupied on this occasion by Galway’s colleague, Andreas Blau, who was the orchestra’s principal flute from 1969 to 2014. Blau’s playing in the Debussy is superb but, in truth, the entire orchestra plays with great sensitivity. Debussy’s sensuous masterpiece is gorgeously unfolded in this performance. To close, Karajan offered the Orchestral Suite No. 2 from Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé. This was another of his specialities though, so far as I’m aware, he never conducted the First Suite, let alone the complete ballet; what a pity! The present performance omits the optional chorus part; that’s something I always regret, though the lack of voices didn’t spoil my enjoyment of Karajan’s performance. ‘Lever du jour’ is wonderful; the crescendi are expertly controlled – this performance offers an object lesson in building them – and the eventual full revelation of the morning sun is glorious. In ‘Pantomime’ we have another chance to admire the virtuosity of Andreas Blau; hereabouts, Karajan and his players thrillingly bring to life Ravel’s colourful, inventive scoring. The concluding ‘Danse générale’ is very exciting; Karajan controls the music expertly, conveying the excitement but in a disciplined fashion. The only slight flaw – and it is a slight one – is that, as recorded, the side drum is rather too prominent at times.

Disc 3 brings the first of two performances in this collection of Bruckner’s Fifth symphony. The later one will be covered in Dominic Hartley’s review; that was given in December 1976, in fact on the very day after Karajan and the BPO recorded the work for DG. I reviewed that recording. The performance allocated to me was given in December 1972. Judged by the admittedly crude measure of the stopwatch, Karajan’s two performances in this box and the DG recording are pretty consistent. The present performance lasts for 78:43; the DG recording plays for 80:35; and the 1976 concert performance in this box takes 78:22. I was interested to see, though, that in the studio recording the Adagio plays for 21:26, whereas the same movement is some two minutes shorter in the two concert performances, which have virtually identical timings. To be honest, not much need be said about this 1972 traversal, which can be summed up in one word: magnificent. However, just to reassure readers, I’ll make a few brief comments. The introduction to the first movement, aptly described in his DG notes by Richard Osborne as a “quiet but rock-like Adagio preface”, promises much and that promise is fulfilled over the next seventy-odd minutes; Karajan compels attention. In the main Allegro, which can seem episodic in lesser hands, he unfolds the music most convincingly. The second movement is marked Adagio. Sehr langsam. As an example of the distinction of this performance, sample the glorious sound of the string choir in the passage between 2:31 and 3:23. During this movement the climaxes are positively majestic. The performance of the Scherzo mingles vitality and charm; the Trio is played with what I might term sophisticated rusticity. The finale is huge – this performance takes 24:33-but Karajan holds – nay, compels – our attention throughout. The final peroration (from 22:44) is memorable; the BPO horns and brass make a majestic contribution. This performance of Bruckner’s Fifth is the highlight of my half of this box (I haven’t yet heard the 1976 reading which comes later in the set).         

Disc 4 preserves a concert from September 1973; the programme consisted of symphonies by Mozart and Tchaikovsky, an apt pairing in view of the latter’s high regard for the former’s music. First, we hear the ‘Jupiter’ Symphony, the first of two performances in this set; the later one was given on New Year’s Eve, 1976 and at the time of writing I’ve not yet heard that reading, though I note that the timings suggest that the 1976 performance was slightly more expansive. I think I’d describe the 1973 performance as cultivated, big band Mozart; in my view, there’s nothing wrong with that. Karajan brings good energy levels to the first movement. We’re so accustomed these days to hearing HIP-influenced Mozart performances that the reading of the slow movement may be thought of as too slow; if so, I’d argue that’s our loss. This Berlin reading is elegant and refined; Karajan takes great care over the music and nothing is taken for granted. The Menuetto is quite stately, though by no means too slow. In the finale Karajan and his orchestra enable us to enjoy Mozart’s joyful and inventive counterpoint to the full. There follows a performance of Tchaikovsky’s Fifth symphony. Karajan was a fine conductor of the six numbered Tchaikovsky symphonies, though I don’t believe he ever conducted Manfred; that’s a pity, but perhaps it would not have suited him.  In this account of the Fifth, I found his reading of the first movement consistently convincing. At the start of the slow movement, we are treated to a wonderful, golden-toned horn solo; a little later, the solo oboist is no less distinguished. Karajan’s conducting is very expressive. The Valse is refined and elegant. In the finale, the main Allegro vivace (from 3:01) is fast and exciting, yet Karajan does not press the music too much, as I’ve heard a few conductors do; he lets the composer, rather than excessive speed, generate the excitement. I’m pleased about that, just as I’m pleased that he doesn’t overplay his hand when the major-key restatement of the motto theme arrives; he generates just the right degree of optimistic momentum. Often performed and recorded, the Fifth Symphony can sometimes seem to be a bit of an old war horse – not when it’s conducted and played like this, though. I really enjoyed this performance.

Disc 5, which features a concert from February 1974, has two more works that are mainstream repertoire. The concert began with Schubert’s ‘Unfinished’ Symphony. Karajan’s approach to the work is very traditional and some listeners may well feel it’s over-Romantic. However, as I listened, I came to feel that this traditional approach worked. In the first movement, though there’s no unwarranted exaggeration, Karajan makes telling use of dynamic contrasts to heighten the drama inherent in the music. The second movement is beautifully sculpted. Yes, the speed is very broad but the interpretation works for me. Once again, the dynamics are impressively done. I admired this performance of the ‘Unfinished’. Next up is the Capriccio for Violin and Orchestra by Krzysztof Penderecki; I strongly suspect that this is the sole example on disc of Karajan conducting music by this composer. In this work, which dates from 1967, the soloist is Leon Spierer (b 1928) who was at the time one of the orchestra’s concertmasters. Though the work was only seven years old at the time of this performance, this was not its first inclusion in a BPO programme; I learned from the documentation that it was previously given in 1969 when Roman Totenberg was the soloist and Ernest Bour the conductor. I’m afraid this music isn’t remotely to my taste, though I can respect the skill of the performers – there are some fascinating orchestral effects. Spierer clearly faces many technical challenges, and whilst his virtuosity is impressive, I regret that Penderecki allows him virtually no chance to demonstrate his lyrical gifts – there’s one isolated and short instance in the mysterious little passage that begins at around 7:00. I’m probably missing something but, for me, the title Capriccio suggests something light hearted and entertaining; I hear none of that in this piece. Frankly, at 12:43 in duration it far outstays its welcome, though I’m sure some listeners will find more in the piece than I did.  We’re back on familiar territory with Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition in the wonderful orchestration by Ravel. This was another Karajan speciality; he recorded it more than once. There’s a great deal to enjoy here. For example, ‘Il vecchio castello’ is gently languorous; the saxophone and bassoon solos are particularly gratifying. In ‘Bydlo’ the lumbering tread of the oxen is well conveyed. By contrast, ‘Ballet des poussins dans leur coques’ is deft and light-footed. ‘Samuel Goldenberg und Schmuÿle’ is strongly characterised, while ‘Catacombae (Sepulcrum romanum)’ is darkly imposing. In ‘La Grande Porte de Kiev’, Karajan and the orchestra really deliver the goods; the image of the Great Gate has all the necessary grandeur and the closing pages (tr 17, from 4:11) are especially majestic. This is a splendid performance of the work.

Disc 6 offers a programme from September 1974. Proceedings open with Mozart’s A major Piano Concerto, K488 in which the soloist is Jean-Bernard Pommier (b 1944). The elegance with which Karajan and the orchestra deliver the introduction to the first movement is a harbinger of much that is to follow. Pommier matches that elegance; he plays with a light touch, yet there is ample body to his tone. I love the pensive, graceful way that he plays the opening solo in the slow movement. The tempo for this movement is spacious but I think that’s entirely justified by the Adagio marking and, in any case, the quality of the performance disarms any criticism which might arise over tempo. This is a lovely account of the movement. Having given us so much grace and elegance in the first two movements, Pommier and Karajan then treat us to a performance of the finale which is full of brio and energy; they make the music sparkle. This is a fine, traditional performance of Mozart’s 23^rd Piano Concerto; I loved it. In the 1970s, Karajan and the BPO made for DG a series of recordings of the music of the Second Viennese School. I remember, as an impecunious student, borrowing the box of LPs from the library several times, though I found some of the music was too much of a challenge – some of it still is, more than fifty years later! One of the works in the box was Schoenberg’s Pelleas und Melisande and I was excited when I saw that this performance was included in the box. In fact, the DG recording was made in the Philharmonie just a few months earlier, in January 1974. Helpfully, this live performance is divided into eleven separate tracks and when I looked at my copy of the DG disc, I found that these tracks correspond exactly with the tracking on the commercial recording; the timings of the DG performance and this live reading are almost identical. Pelleas und Melisande is a complex score, both musically and emotionally. Schoenberg used a vast orchestra but, as Mahler often did, he scored much of the music with great restraint, although there are some mighty climaxes. It seems to me that Karajan is masterly in the way he unfolds Schoenberg’s melodies and harmonies. The textures are often rich and complicated but such is the skill of this conductor and this orchestra that a wealth of detail can be heard. There’s tenderness and delicacy in the delivery of the section which introduces us to the young Melisande. Equally, the performance does full justice to the ardour with which Schoenberg depicted the passion of the eponymous lovers. The final section, in which Golaud’s remorse is depicted, is played with shattering intensity. This is a fabulous, gripping performance of Pelleas und Melisande. I think the DG recording, which was made under studio conditions, has a bit more immediacy as compared with this RIAS tape but the sound on this live recording is first rate and does full justice to Karajan’s superb performance.          

Disc 7 takes us up to December 1974 with a concert of music by Bartók and Dvořák. Bartók is represented by his Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta. In this work Bartók audibly revels in the sonorities available to him as a result of the instruments for which he chose to write and we can revel in them too in this performance. The shadowy string polyphony at the start of the Andante tranquillo is most atmospherically done. Karajan ratchets up the tension to the point where the percussion joins in for the first climax. The following section (Allegro) is energetic and edgy; the playing is very incisive. In the Adagio, Karajan and the orchestra dig deep; this is a searching, intense performance. Much of the concluding Allegro molto is vigorous and sharply pointed, though the hushed, mysterious passage which occurs not long before the end of the work offers a sharp contrast. If I’m candid, Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta is a work which I respect – very much – rather than love; I greatly admired this Berlin performance. Dvořák’s ‘New World’ symphony is core repertoire. Here, the work receives a strongly projected performance. I enjoyed it up to a point – and the playing is superb, it hardly needs saying. However, one or two interpretative aspects gave me pause for thought. The first movement goes well though, for my taste, Karajan eases the tempo a bit too much in the lyrical, expressive episodes. The Largo begins with a lovely, gently nostalgic rendition of the famous cor anglais solo. The second subject is beautifully begun by the solo oboe (4:45) but the tempo is a bit on the spacious side and what follows (up to 8:27) definitely feels too slow to me. I should record, though, that the tranquil coda is very beautiful. The Scherzo benefits from a nicely incisive tempo but I part company with Karajan in the Trio (from 3:19); here, the music lacks the necessary bounce. The finale is launched with fire and energy. I liked what I heard in this movement; my sole reservation is that the brass can seem a bit overpowering in the tuttis, though those passages are definitely exciting. Overall, I felt Karajan’s approach to the symphony was too serious; I feel he doesn’t bring out enough of the music’s essential freshness.

The contents of Disc 8 consist of music by Berg and Bruckner, performed in April 1975. Berg’s Three Pieces from the Lyric Suite for string orchestra is, along with Schoenberg’s Pelleas und Melisande, one of the Second Viennese School compositions of which Karajan and the BPO made memorable recordings in the early 1970s. In the opening Andante amoroso, it’s hard not to be seduced by the sheer beauty of sound that Karajan conjures from his orchestra. Berg’s lyricism is given full rein but there’s also strength and intensity in the playing when required. The performance is expertly calibrated. I confess that I’ve never really understood the Allegro misterioso movement, and I don’t think I ever shall. It’s strange, hallucinatory music, at least to my ears. I doubt I’ll ever hear a better live account of it than this one; the performance is acutely detailed. The playing in the concluding Adagio appassionato lives up to the marking; this is a very intense piece of music-making. The BPO’s richness of tone is tremendous. Berg’s work is one I can respect, though not love, but I emphatically admire this performance.  Karajan and the orchestra recorded the Bruckner Fourth for DG in the very month that this live performance was given. Karajan uses the Robert Haas edition of Bruckner’s second version of the symphony, though he departs from Haas by inserting a cymbal clash at 2:31 in the finale (just as he did on the CD). I was very impressed with the DG recording when I reviewed the complete cycle some years ago. Returning to Karajan’s vision of the score now after quite a gap, I am, if anything, even more impressed. The first movement is paced with great understanding by Karajan; he injects dynamism where Brucker requires it but, just as importantly, he gives the music an excellent sense of space. He leads the listener on through the second movement (Andante quasi allegretto) in such a fashion that when the movement’s majestic climax begins (at 12:23) it just feels inevitable. In the Scherzo, delivered with plenty of vitality, the hunting horns are well to the fore; the chase is really on. It’s in the finale, though, where Karajan’s interpretation – and the BPO’s playing – peaks. The movement opens with great suspense and the performance builds incrementally to a monumental tutti (1:22 to 2:52); that tutti passage is truly arresting, the mighty BPO brass and horns sounding absolutely superb. Thereafter, Karajan’s conducting is highly focused; the performance is full of contrast and drama. Eventually (at 18:16) we reach the hushed start of the ascent to the final peak. The build-up is marvellously controlled; every new dynamic terrace registers. The symphony ends in a majestic blaze. This is a very distinguished interpretation of the Bruckner Fourth and the BPO’s playing is fantastic.

Karajan was a great conductor of the music of Richard Strauss and Disc 9 offers us a chance to hear him in two of the composer’s most important orchestral scores. Many collectors will be familiar with his marvellous DG recording of Metamorphosen, made in the early 1970s. Interestingly, that studio recording played for 27:30 but this later live performance clocks in at a more urgent 24:39. From listening to the two versions side by side it’s clear that the timing difference  occurs because in the studio recording Karajan adopted a much slower pace for the outer sections (Adagio ma non troppo) than he does in this 1975 concert. In the central Più allegro section, his speed is almost identical in both versions; both performances of this central panel are urgent and strongly projected. It seems to me that the somewhat more flowing tempo for the slower episodes doesn’t result in any less intensity in the 1975 performance; the music is deeply felt and on balance I prefer the live performance. The quality of the playing from the 23 members of the BPO string section is outstanding, as was also the case in the DG account. Also sprach Zarathustra is mightily impressive. The Introduction is properly imposing, yet Karajan ensures the music isn’t grandiose. In the following ‘Of the Backworldsmen’ section the BPO strings are sumptuous. The ‘Of Joys and Passions’ episode is ardent; the performance is thrilling in its sweep and passion. In ‘Of Science and Learning’ I really admire the evident care that Karajan and his players take over textures. The penultimate ‘The Dance-Song’ demonstrates the collective virtuosity of the BPO, the passage building wonderfully until the tension is released when the Midnight Bell tolls at the start of the ‘Song of the Night Wanderer’. If virtuosity was on show in the penultimate section, then in the closing episode it’s the sensitivity of the orchestra that one admires until the work’s peaceful close is memorably achieved thanks to the great refinement of the playing. This is a terrific account of Strauss’s huge, ambitious tone poem.

Finally, as far as my part in this survey is concerned, Disc 10 brings a slightly curious combination of Mozart and Sibelius, from a concert given in October 1976. I presume that the disc preserves the order in which the pieces were played. First, we hear Mozart’s Sinfonia concertante for four winds in E flat major, K. 297b in which a quartet of the stellar principals that Karajan had at his disposal are to the fore. To be honest, I don’t think this is top-drawer Mozart but soloists, conductor and orchestra present it as if it were. It seems to me that the four soloists – Karl Steins (oboe), Karl Leister (clarinet), Gerd Seifert (horn), and Manfred Braun (bassoon) – work as a team. The first movement is urbane, while the thing that stands out for me in the central Adagio is the way that the four solo instruments are made to sing. The concluding Andantino con variazioni is spirited and jolly. That work may not be great Mozart but the Sibelius Fifth symphony is a towering masterpiece. It was a work which Karajan did marvellously, as we can hear on his 1965 DG recording (review). Around the time of this concert performance, Karajan and the orchestra made another recording of the symphony, this time for EMI. Looking back, I see that my colleague, Christopher Howell was somewhat underwhelmed (review). I don’t recall hearing that EMI recording but when I found Christopher’s review, after I’d listened to this concert performance, I could understand some of his reservations. The first movement unfolds spaciously at first; Karajan’s approach is patient. When the Presto – Più presto section is reached, there’s a great injection of energy and the music gradually accelerates in an exciting way. I’m not so persuaded by the second movement, though. To be honest, I found my attention wandering; partly, that may be because the thematic material isn’t among the composer’s most memorable but also, I had the (perhaps unfair) impression that the performance is a bit on auto-pilot. The finale is much better; the performance offers, as it should, a combination of energy and majesty. I said at the start of this paragraph that I presume the disc preserves the concert in the order in which the music was heard. If that’s the case, I find it a bit odd that Karajan would not have sent his audience out with the symphony ringing in their ears but, instead, brought proceedings to a close with Finlandia. The performance is a bit of a mixed bag. Right at the start, the brass and timpani, at least as recorded, are too emphatic; their collective sound is overpowering, verging on aggressive. When the Allegro moderato arrives (3:10), I feel Karajan adopts too broad a tempo; granted, an even faster speed is on the horizon, but at this point the music doesn’t move forward with enough urgency for my taste. Once the Allegro is reached, things go much better; the performance has fire in its belly. The famous big tune is nobly sung. As I say, this performance is a bit of a mixed bag.

I’m sorry that my appraisal of the first half of this box ends on a slightly downbeat note. That said, the first ten discs in this collection contain many gems, including the two Bruckner symphonies, the Tchaikovsky Fifth, Pelleas und Melisande, Pictures at an Exhibition and the pieces by Debussy and Ravel. The quality of the orchestral playing is superb throughout. The performances to which I’ve been listening were given fifty or more years ago. They sound very handsome; the original radio recordings have come up very well indeed in these new digital transfers to SACD. In one of the essays in the documentation, Tobias Möller writes of ‘The Golden Seventies’, pointing out that after the Philharmonie opened in 1963 it took quite some time for the orchestra to become comfortable with the acoustics and the issues arising out of the placing of the concert platform in the centre of the hall, surrounded by the audience. Various adjustments were made, and by 1973 the hall was acceptable to Karajan for commercial recordings. I think we can hear in these radio recordings, too, that conductor and orchestra were now much more comfortable in their new home.

Mention of Möller’s essay brings me nicely to the question of documentation which, as is always the case with this label, is sumptuous. The very substantial booklet has everything in German and English. In addition to a very detailed track listing, there is the Möller essay and two further substantial contributions. Karajan’s biographer, Richard Osborne writes about Karajan himself; his essay is illuminating. The most extensive essay is by Peter Uehling, who writes about the music with particular reference to the performances we hear. He also explains how the various pieces fitted into Karajan’s repertoire with the orchestra.  Uehling offers a balanced assessment of the performances. He doesn’t simply extol every performance, trying to ‘sell’ some of them to the listener. Rather, he is not afraid to point out the issues with some of them; I like that. The documentation is liberally supplied with evocative photographs, mainly in black and white. I should also mention that I could detect no extraneous audience noise and that there is no applause after any of the performances.

This box is an expensive proposition for collectors. I imagine that a key issue will be that Karajan devotees are likely to have already the conductor’s commercial recordings of many of the works in question on their shelves. However, if you’re prepared to make the investment, I think you’ll find this set a fascinating-and marvellously presented-anthology, documenting the relationship between Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker. I imagine that in due course a final volume, covering the 1980s, will appear. If that happens then we shall have a most illuminating trilogy of boxes documenting the working relationship between conductor and orchestra over more than three decades. 

The exploration of the first half of this set has been a fascinating and rewarding experience. I shall look forward to hearing the remaining discs in the set and to reading Dominic Hartley’s verdict on them.

John Quinn

Other review: Dominic Hartley

Contents
All recordings are from broadcasts by Rundfunk im Amerikanischen Sektor (Radio in the American Sector, now Deutschlandradio) unless otherwise stated

Disc 1
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Sinfonia for Strings in B minor, RV 169 “Al Santo Sepolcro” (ca 1730)
Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D minor, Op. 47  (1903/04, rev 1905)
Christian Ferras (violin)
Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)
Le sacre du printemps (1911-13)
rec. 25 September 1971
A recording by Sender Freies Berlin (Radio Free Berlin, now rbb)

Disc 2
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1809-1847)
Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op. 56 “Scottish” (1841/42)
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune (1891-94)
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Daphnis et Chloé, Orchestral Suite No. 2 (1913)
rec. 19 February 1972

Disc 3
Anton Bruckner (1824-1896)
Symphony No. 5 in B flat major (1875/76, rev. 1877/78)
rec. 31 December 1972  Disc 4
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Symphony No. 41 in C major, K. 551 “Jupiter” (1788)
Peter Illych Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64 (1888)
rec. 8 September 1973

Disc 5
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Symphony No. 7 in B minor, D 759 “Unfinished” (1822)
Krzysztof Penderecki (1933-2020)
Capriccio for Violin and Orchestra (1967)
Leon Spierer (violin)
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881)
Pictures at an Exhibition (1874) (Orchestrated, 1922, by Maurice Ravel)
rec. 17 February 1974

Disc 6
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 23 in A major, K. 488 (1786)
Jean-Bernard Pommier (piano)
Arnold Schönberg (1874– 1951)
Pelleas und Melisande op. 5 (1902-03)
Symphonic poem after Maurice Maeterlinck’s play
rec. 25 September 1974 

Disc 7
Béla Bartók (1881-1945)
Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta, Sz 106 (1936)
Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904)
Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95 “From the New World” (1893)
rec. 8 December 1974

Disc 8
Alban Berg (1885-1935)
Three Pieces from the Lyric Suite for string orchestra (1928)
Anton Bruckner
Symphony No. 4 in E flat major “Romantic” (1874, rev. 1878 / 80, 1887 / 88. 2nd version)
rec. 20 April 1975

Disc 9
Richard Strauss (1864-1949)
Metamorphosen, Study for 23 solo strings (1944-45)
Also sprach Zarathustra, Symphonic Poem, Op. 30 (1895-96)
rec. 25 September 1975


Disc 10
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Sinfonia concertante for four winds in E flat major, K. 297b (1778)
Karl Steins (oboe), Karl Leister (clarinet), Gerd Seifert (horn), Manfred Braun (bassoon)
Jean Sibelius
Symphony No. 5 in E flat major, Op. 82 (1914 -15, rev. 1916, 1919)
Finlandia, Op. 26 (1899-1900)
rec. 16 October 1976


Disc 11
Anton Bruckner
Symphony No. 5 in B flat major (1875/76, rev. 1877/78)
rec. 12 December 1976

Disc 12
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Symphony No. 41 in C major, K. 551 “Jupiter” (1788)
Richard Strauss
Ein Heldenleben op. 40 (1897-98)
Michel Schwalbé (violin)rec. 31 December 1976

Disc 13
Gerhard Wimberger (1923-2016)
Plays for 12 solo cellos, wind and percussion (1975)
Hector Berlioz (1803-1869)
Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14 (1830)
rec. 25 January 1977
Disc 14
Werner Thärichen (1921-2008)
Batrachomyomachia op. 55 (1975)
Concerto for 2 solo timpani, voice, chamber choir and orchestra
Werner Thärichen (timpani I), Oswald Vogler (timpani II), Walton Grönroos (baritone)
Kammerchor Ernst Senff
Igor Stravinsky
Le sacre du printemps (1911-13)
rec. 25 September 1977
A recording by Sender Freies Berlin (Radio Free Berlin, now rbb)

Disc 15
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Concerto for Violin, Cello and Orchestra in A minor, Op. 102 (1887)
Thomas Brandis (violin), Ottomar Borwitzky (cello)
Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73 (1877)
rec. 21 October 1977

Disc 16
Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)
Das Lied von der Erde (1908-09)
Agnes Baltsa (mezzo-soprano), Hermann Winkler (tenor)
rec. 4 January 1978

Disc 17
Jean Sibelius
Symphony No. 4 in A minor, Op. 63 (1909-11)
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92 (1811-12)
rec. 28 January 1978
A recording by Sender Freies Berlin (Radio Free Berlin, now rbb)

Disc 18
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major, BWV 1048 (before 1721)
Michel Schwalbé, Leon Spierer (violin), Wolfram Christ (viola), Ottomar Borwitzky, Eberhard Finke (cello)
Friedrich Witt, Rainer Zepperitz (double bass)
Herbert von Karajan (harpsichord)
Alban Berg
Three Pieces for Orchestra, Op. 6 (1913-15, rev. 1929)
Antonín Dvořák
Symphony No. 8 in G major, Op. 88 (1889)
rec. 4 January 1979
A recording by Sender Freies Berlin (Radio Free Berlin, now rbb)

Disc 19
Anton Webern (1883-1945)
Five Movements for String Orchestra, Op. 5 (1909, 1928-29)
(Arrangement of the String Quartet)
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Symphony No. 4 in D minor, Op. 120 (1841, rev. 1851)
Peter Illych Tchaikovsky
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 1 in B flat minor, Op. 23 (1874-75)
Mark Zeltser (piano)
rec. 27 January 1979

Disc 20
Johann Sebastian Bach
Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 in F major, BWV 1046 (before 1721)
Thomas Brandis (violin), Hansjörg Schellenberger (oboe I), Burkhard Rohde (oboe II), Heinrich Kärcher (oboe III)
Gerd Seifert (horn I), Dieter Fischer (horn II), Philipp Mol (harpsichord)
Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 55 “Eroica” (1802-04)
rec.  25 November 1979