The sound of these Philips remasterings is very good for being almost fifty years old, and though the recording, true to its origins in the early 60's, is fairly closely mic'ed it is never too much. The various instrument sections are remarkably well defined.
Maestro Temirkanov is a frequent guest conductor of major orchestras in Europe and Asia including the Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, Dresden Staatskapelle, London Philharmonic, London Symphony, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Santa Cecilia, Rome and La Scala. In the USA, he conducts the major orchestras in New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Karl Böhm's recording of the Mozart symphonies with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra is among the most respected and beloved sets of this important body of work. Böhm's set was the first complete recording of the symphonies (including several that subsequent scholarship has shown to be written by other composers and misattributed to Mozart) and it remains a substantial achievement because of the conductor's stature as a Mozartian and because of the enthusiastic and refined playing of the Berlin Philharmonic.
Wolfgang Sawallisch was a German conductor and pianist, known for his refined interpretations of orchestral and opera repertoire. As a pianist, he was a revered accompanist and chamber musician, as well as an accomplished soloist. He was born in 1923 in Munich to Maria and Wilhelm Sawallisch, and had a brother named Werner who was older by five years. He started learning the piano at age five, and by the age of ten he had already decided that he wanted to be a concert pianist as an adult. Upon graduating high school in Munich in 1942, he studied piano with Wolfgang Ruoff until he was drafted into the military, where he served in France and Italy with the Wehrmacht, a branch of the Nazi armed forces. During the final stages of World War II in 1945 he was captured and held in a British POW camp. After he was released, he returned to Munich and began studying with composer Joseph Haas.
Maestro Bernard Haitink evokes a triumphant performance from the Berlin Philharmonic with this rendition of Mahler's fourth and seventh symphonies. In addition to Haitnik's mastery over the material, Sylvia McNair's solo vocals add another layer of aural texture to a performance that reveals the genius of Mahler's compositions.
Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic release live recordings of Beethoven's complete symphonies and his concerto with Alexis Weissenberg, which he recorded in Japan from November 13 to 18, 1977, in a limited edition box of 6 CDs.
The latest 192kHz 24bit remastering without artificial equalization delivers powerful and clear sound. It is a treasure-like record that allows you to enjoy Karajan's true magic and the Berlin Philharmonic's skills, which are difficult to detect in studio recordings.