Herbert von Karajan

Herbert von Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra – Strauss: Ein Heldenleben, Op.40 (1959) [Japanese SHM-SACD 2014]
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 45:43 minutes | Scans NOT included | 1,83 GB
or FLAC(converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Scans NOT included | 834 MB
Japanese SHM-SACD / This version uses the DSD master made by Emil Berliner Studios, Germany in 2014

Say what you want about the egomaniacal Austrian conductor Herbert von Karajan, he was far & away the best postwar interpreter of German composer Richard Strauss’ megalomaniacal Ein Heldenleben. In this 1959 Deutsche Grammophon recording with the Berliner Philharmoniker, Karajan approaches the work as a portrait painted in sound of the artist as a young world conqueror. Though Karajan draws playing of tremendous fire & daring out of the Berlin musicians & though Deutsche Grammophon captures the performance in immediate stereo sound, the real hero of this Hero’s Life is Karajan himself. He has the measure of the score, knows when to apply pressure & when to pull back, when to let the brass go & when to reign them in, when to let the harmonies bloom & when to cut them off. But more importantly, Karajan believes in the music. Other postwar conductors could give convincing performances of Ein Heldenleben — one thinks, of course, of Fritz Reiner & the Chicago Symphony’s high-powered 1954 RCA recording — but Karajan isn’t performing the work: he’s living it. The sweep & swagger of the opening theme, the imperious power of the battle music, the expansive monumentality of the closing pages: this isn’t an act for Karajan; this is life itself.

(more…)

Herbert von Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra – Mozart: Serenade No.13 / Divertiment No.15 (1965/2015) [Japanese SHM-SACD 2015]
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 54:41 minutes | Scans NOT included | 2,19 GB
or FLAC(converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Scans NOT included | 1,02 GB
DSD Remaster based on Deutsche Grammophon analog tape / Universal Japan, SHM-SACD # UCGG-9072

Eine kleine Nachtmusik (Serenade #13 for strings in G major), K. 525, is a 1787 composition for a chamber ensemble by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The German title means “a little serenade,” though it is often rendered more literally but less accurately as “a little night music.” The work is written for an ensemble of 2 violins, viola, & cello with optional double bass, but is often performed by string orchestras. On this release, Herbert von Karajan conducts the Berlin Philharmonic for a performance of Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik & Divertimento KV 287.

(more…)

Herbert von Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra – Bruckner: Symphony No.7 in E major (1972) [Japan 2012]
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 68:08 minutes | Covers included | 2,73 GB
or FLAC(converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Covers included | 1,12 GB
Japanese SACD Reissue 2012 | EMI Classics / Esoteric Company, Japan # ESSE 90059

The reissue of classical music masterpieces by ESOTERIC has attracted a lot of attention, both for its uncompromising commitment to recreating the original master sound, and for using hybrid Super Audio CD (SACD) technology to improve sound quality. This series marks the first hybrid SACD release of historical recording selections that have been mainstays of the catalog since their initial release on LP, until the present digital age of CD. These new audio versions feature ESOTERIC’s proprietary re-mastering process to achieve the highest level of sound quality.

(more…)