Herbert Von Karajan Returns To DG Original Source Series
A new LP from the label compiles orchestral works from Arnold Schoenberg, Anton Webern, and Alban Berg.
A key set of works from Austrian conductor Herbert von Karajan have been reissued in Deutsche Grammophon’s Original Source Series. Recorded in 1973 and 1974, the vinyl includes orchestral works by Arnold Schoenberg, Anton Webern, and Alban Berg, performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker.
The performances on the new reissue, due out September 12th, were mixed and mastered by The Emil Berliner Studios from original four and eight-track master tapes, using 100% analog quality (AAA). Pressed on 180-gram vinyl, the limited-edition 4-LP set—designed by graphic designer Holger Matthies— comes complete with original artwork, photographs and facsimiles of recording logs from the original sessions.
Born in Salzburg in 1908, Karajan began his conducting career in 1929. He became principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic in 1956, holding the position for more than three decades. By the time these Second Viennese School recordings were made, Karajan had established himself as one of the most influential conductors of the 20th century. In the early 1970s, Karajan was simultaneously serving as artistic director of the Vienna State Opera, and had founded the Salzburg Easter Festival.
The comprehensive new box set captures Karajan’s approach to contemporary repertoire during the height of his career. The composer recorded prolifically throughout his career, making over 800 recordings and selling an estimated 200 million records—his relationship with Deutsche Grammophon specifically yielded 330 recordings, and his 1981 recording of Strauss’s “An Alpine Symphony” became the first work pressed on compact disc by the label.
The release joins an array of other DG Original Source vinyl, including circa-1970s works featuring Maurizio Pollini, Claudio Abbado, Rafael Kubelík, and Karl Böhm. The series has also previously reissued multiple works Karajan conducted with the Berliner Philharmoniker, including renditions of Gustav Mahler’s “Symphony No. 6”, Giuseppe Verdi’s “Requiem Mass,” and Richard Wagner’s “The Ring Of The Nibelungen.”
