Mahler Karajan

Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 9 – Berliner Philharmoniker; Herbert von Karajan
Classical | 2 CD | EAC Rip | 403 MB, 3% recovery | FLAC+LOG+Cue | Complete scans
Publisher: Deutsche Grammophon | Recorded: 1982 | Published: 1984

Rarely has this Symphony been shaped with such understanding and played with such selfless virtuosity as it was by Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic in a legendary series of concerts in 1982. The performance is electric and intense, yet Karajan - ever the enigmatic blend of fire and ice - has the measure of the symphony's spiritual coolness… When the history of Twentieth Century music-making comes to be written this performance will be seen as one of its proudest landmarks. - Gramophone CD Guide

The compact disc, as a sound carrier, was still on the horizon when Herbert von Karajan urged his record company to utilize the new digital technology in his recordings. Consequently Karajan's Magic Flute, recorded in 1980, became the first release of a Deutsche Grammophon digital production and was first released on LP.

This is Dudamel’s first CD with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, recorded live at LA’s famed Disney Concert Hall as part of their epic 2012 Mahler Project, celebrating one of the most energetic and exciting musical partnerships of our times - The coming together of the very finest American orchestra, led with passion and vision by the unique force of nature that is Gustavo Dudamel.

Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 6 in A minor; Kindertotenlieder; Rückert Lieder; Christa Ludwig, mezzosoprano; Berliner Philharmoniker; Herbert von Karajan
Classical | 2 CDs | EAC Rip | 605 Mb | FLAC+LOG+CUE | Full scans |7 RS links
Publisher: Deutsche Grammophon

Karajan's reading of the Sixth, the darkest symphony of Mahler, is a revelation… the combination of polish, rhythmic point and flexibility make for a reading that has both concentration over the broadest span and consistent fantasy and imagination over detail. ..The recording is one of the very finest ever given to Karajan in Berlin, with ample range and richness…. a Mahler recording which sets new standards.
Gramophone (1978)
… magnificently prepared and executed; the orchestral playing is wonderfully beautiful, and the conductor's balancing of his vast forces is magisterially subtle… the controlled power of this account of the Sixth is enormous. Without that, the gorgeousness of the detail might have seemed cosmetic; but the strength of the framework is enough to carry it brilliantly. ..The Andante moderato, in particular, has a grandly sustained radiance that has probably never been matched.
Records and Recording (1978)

The equally majestic follow-up to one of the most successful box sets in recent memory: After KARAJAN 1960s here comes KARAJAN 1970s. Between 1970 and 1979, Herbert von Karajan recorded the incredible amount of 82 CDs worth of orchestral and choral music for DG This was the period that saw Karajan delve deeply into important repertoire that he never really tackled before or after – from Vivaldi to Mahler, to Berg, Schoenberg and Webern as well as Orff. Not to forget Christmas Concertos, National Anthems, and Prussian Marches.

In light of the "chill-out" trend of the 1990s, major labels released many albums of slow, meditative pieces to appeal to listeners who wanted relaxing or reflective background music. Deutsche Grammophon's vaults are full of exceptional recordings of classical orchestral music, and the performances by Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic are prominent in the label's catalog. The slow selections on Karajan: Adagio are in most cases drawn from larger compositions, though these movements are frequently anthologized as if they were free-standing works. Indeed, many have come to think of the Adagietto from Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 5 as a separate piece in its own right, largely because of its evocative use in the film Death in Venice. Furthermore, the famous Canon by Johann Pachelbel is seldom played with its original companion piece, the Gigue in D major, let alone in its original version for three violins and continuo; it most often appears in an arrangement for strings.

Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 4 in G major – Edith Mathis, soprano; Berliner Philharmoniker; Herbert von Karajan
Classical | 1 CD | EAC Rip | 238 MB, 3% recovery | FLAC+LOG+Cue | Complete scans
Publisher: DGG/Universal | Recorded: 1987 | Published: 1990

…Such playing (though if I'm to be hyper-critical I don't care for some of the solo-violin playing), such excellent recording balance and, above all, such conducting, Karajan at his most relaxed and winning, making all the humorous and fantastic points in the score with such affection. - The Gramophone

Inbal and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra are nearing completion of their Mahler cycle, which on the whole is highly distinguished. This two-disc set gives us the climactic Ninth Symphony, arguably the greatest work of its kind composed in this century, and the opening Adagio of the Tenth in the Erwin Ratz 1964 edition. Presumably Inbal rejects the Deryck Cooke performing version, which is an immense pity because judging from his incandescent interpretation of this first movement, he would have something special to tell us about it.